The dam in a small reservoir in China's Guangxi region gave way last month after days of heavy rain in a collapse that could foreshadow more severe testing for many of the country's 94,000 aging dams as the weather turns more extreme.
Located in Yangshuo County, famous for its otherworldly karst landscape, the dam collapsed around noon on June 7, flooding roads, orchards and fields in Shazixi village, residents told Reuters.
"I have never seen such floods," said villager Luo Qiyuan, 81, who helped build the dam decades ago.
"The water levels have never been so high in previous years, and the dam has never collapsed."
Completed in 1965, the dam, made of compacted earth, was designed to hold 195,000 cubic meters of water, enough to fill 78 Olympic swimming pools and meet the irrigation needs of Shazixi farmers.
On a visit to the reservoir in mid-July, Reuters found that the dam's length of about 100 meters had largely disappeared. It was reinforced 25 years ago.
The water flowed over the dam, which then collapsed, said a member of a research team at the reservoir, who declined to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Shazixi residents said there were no deaths.
But the collapse, which was not reported by local media, suggests that large storms may be enough to overwhelm the reservoirs, especially if the design is inferior and maintenance has been patchy.
That raises the possibility of disaster in river valleys and flood plains that are much more densely populated than when the dams were built.
Environmental groups say climate change is bringing stronger and more frequent rains. The massive floods could trigger unforeseen "black swan" events, the government says, with extreme consequences.
From NDTV News
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