"Quake Lake" Dams Risk Lives

Giuseppe · May 17, 2008

ADVISORY-China quake lake story withdrawn
17 May 2008 08:45:00 GMT
Source: Reuters

The China story headlined "Thousands flee to hills as China lake banks burst" is wrong and is withdrawn.

While people in the immediate vicinity of the lake have been told to evacuate, the banks still appear to be holding.
A corrected story follows:

BEIJING, May 17 (Reuters) -

Thousands fled amid fears a lake would burst its banks in Beichuan, near the epicentre of China's earthquake in which a total 50,000 people may have died, a Reuters photographer said.

It was not immediately clear if anyone was hurt.

People were told to flee to the hillsides in a public announcement.

(Reporting by Jason Li; Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by David Fox)
-
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK319524.htm
------

gsgs · May 17, 2008

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

> 1,250,000 people are being evacuated in Qingchuan

is it true or withdrawn ?
and why "thousands" in the headline ?

let's change the headlines, they are often misleading
give your own (more informative) headline to the story

------------------

I can't find Qingchuan 90km NE of Beichuan.

Is it Guangyuan and 90miles ?

river Jiailing Jiang

gsgs · May 17, 2008

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

I can't find the Chinese names on my map, supposedly there are different
spellings.

So, the evacuation of 1.25M was not true ?

Are you comfortable with the headlines ? Since quite some time
now I have seen many which were misleading.
The headlines are usually added later by other people so to increase
the effect to the readers, to make them buy the newspapers.
They are "sensationalized".

In internet we could replace them with our own ,more informative,
headlines. Also summaries or excerts are better than whole articles.
Who want to read the whole article can still follow the link

mixin · May 17, 2008

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

I haven't found that lake yet but this might be helpful.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2008ryan.php#maps

There are a number of different types of maps.
The Google map will take you to the site of the quake of your choice

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=30.98...UTC)&ll=30.9888,103.3294&spn=2,2&f=d&t=h&hl=e

Giuseppe · May 17, 2008

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

mixin said:
I haven't found that lake yet but this might be helpful.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2008ryan.php#maps

There are a number of different types of maps.
The Google map will take you to the site of the quake of your choice

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=30.98...UTC)&ll=30.9888,103.3294&spn=2,2&f=d&t=h&hl=e

The ''lake'' seems to be a transient one, created by an amount of rocks that closes a river after the earthquake.

Shiloh · May 17, 2008

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7406109.stm

Page last updated at 13:28 GMT, Saturday, 17 May 2008 14:28 UK

China quake victims flee 'flood'
here has been panic in the quake-hit Chinese city of Beichuan after reports the entire city could be flooded by a river bursting its banks.

The BBC's Paul Danahar in Beichuan says there was a stampede as thousands of people fled to higher ground.

The whole city was evacuated, forcing the suspension of all rescue efforts, our correspondent says.

Beichuan is close to the epicentre of Monday's devastating quake, in which it is feared about 50,000 people died.

On Saturday the number of confirmed deaths rose to 28,881. The Chinese authorities say that about five million people have been made homeless by the disaster.

Our correspondent in Beichuan says the city went from a scene of rescue and relief into mayhem.

"Everybody just ran - rescuers, army relief teams, medical workers and locals - and people who were in the process of being rescued had to be left behind.

"We were in the process of filming a man about to be pulled out after hours of digging and the rescue team had to abandon him and run."

The Xinhua news agency warned that a lake, formed by landslides blocking a river, "may burst its bank at any time".

However, the authorities later said the city was not under threat from the water.

Our correspondent returned to the heart of the city as the rescue effort resumed, but he says the majority of people are remaining on the surrounding hillsides.

"It is not surprising," he says. "This entire community has been shaken to its core, they are surrounded by unstable buildings which threaten to topple at any moment, and the people have been deeply traumatised by what has happened."

The Chinese government has organised a massive search and rescue effort, which has garnered some success.

On Saturday, several people were dug out of the rubble, including a 52-year-old man who was pulled free after 117 hours buried in debris.

Xinhua also reported that a German tourist was pulled from the rubble - though it later revised its story, saying the mountain climber had not been buried, just cut off by a landslide, and that he made his own way to safety.

Mass graves

Rescue teams from South Korea, Singapore and Russia have joined Japanese and Taiwanese experts taking part in the massive search.

The specialist teams are equipped with sniffer dogs, and fibre-optic cameras and heat sensors to detect people buried under the rubble.

But the number of people being pulled out alive are few and increasingly it is dead bodies which are being retrieved.

Detailed map of quake zone:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7400614.stm

Video coverage by the correspondent in the city threatened by the lake:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7406132.stm

gsgs · May 17, 2008

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

50000 sounds too low with the data from:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7400614.stm

77% dead in nearby Yingxiu

no deaths from Dujiangyan are yet included.
They have 600000 population not 60000

----------------------------
Qingchuan: http://www.tageo.com/index-e-ch-v-32-d-m2670273.htm
Qingchuan, which has a population of 250000
http://www.qczsj.gov.cn/showdetail.asp?id=431
Qingchuan Country is located from 104°36'E to 105°38'E, from 32°12'N to 32°56'NQingchuan has a population of 25,000, of which 34,100 are nonagricultural population, accounting for 14.33 percent

Gert van der Hoek · May 18, 2008

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Thousands flee China quake area over flood fears

By TINI TRAN ?

DONGHEKOU, China (AP) ? Two rivers blocked by landslides threatened to flood towns shattered by China's massive earthquake, sending thousands of survivors fleeing Saturday in a region still staggering from the country's worst disaster in 30 years.

A mountain sheared off by the mighty tremor cut the Qingzhu river and swallowed the riverside village of Donghekou whole, entombing an unknown number of people inside a huge mound of brown earth.

Compounding the horror for survivors, a lake rising behind the wall of debris threatens to break its banks and send torrents cascading into villages downstream.

Pannicky residents streamed out of the entire county on the northern edge of the quake zone, spurred on by mobile phone text messages sent en masse by local government officials warning that the water level was rising and people downstream were being evacuated.

In the town of Beichuan, 60 miles to the south, thousands fled as the reports circulated.

Also on Sunday, a "slightly bruised" man was pulled out alive from a collapsed hospital in Beichuan after being trapped for 139 hours after the quake, a state news agency reported.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Tang Xiong was pulled to safety from the collapsed hospital in Beichuan in the northern part of Sichuan province.

It said Tang "was only slightly bruised and in his right senses" when he was found.

Xinhua also said a second man was rescued from a different building in Beichuan about eight hours before Tang. It said the survivor, Wu Jianping, had been taken to hospital. His condition was not known.

Rescue work had been resumed later in the day and experts were monitoring the river above Beichuan, the People's Daily newspaper said on its web site. The swift exodus underscored the jitters running through the disaster zone. A strong aftershock ? the second in two days and measured by the U.S. Geological Survey at magnitude 5.7 ? shook the area early Sunday for 45 seconds, causing people to run into the streets.

In all the devastation wrought by the quake, little looks as bleak as Donghekou.

The road to the village ends in a tangled twist of metal and tar. In the small valley below, the village itself has disappeared when the mountain collapsed. Locals said two other villages further upstream, Ciban and Kangle, had suffered the same fate. The three villages were home to about 300 families, locals said.

Eerie and still, the remaining landscape has few signs of human life ? a soiled green floral scarf, a rubber pipe, a log.

"Oh God! I have lost everything," said Wen Xiaoying, 32, whose voice shook as she surveyed the valley below for the first time since returning from far-off Guangdong province where she worked.

She held up one hand as she ticked off the family members that died ? her father, her mother, her sister and her brother-in-law ? all of them buried somewhere in the muck before her.

"When I saw them the last time, we celebrated together," said Wen, a glimmer of a smile showing through as she remembered happier days. "I didn't expect it would be the last time I saw them."

Su Ciyao trudged over the bend in plastic slippers, carrying a plastic rice bag stuffed with salvaged clothes.

"My village is over there," the 44-year-old said, gesturing to the swollen earth behind him. Asked where his family was, he could only shake his head.

"Only me," he said, and then set off without a backward glance.

Drizzling rain in the valley added to the gloom, and to the fear of carloads of people who clogged the twisting mountain roads as they streamed out of the region.

The government's daily update added another few thousand bodies to the death toll as it continued climbing toward an expected final tally of at least 50,000. Cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin said 28,881 deaths have been confirmed so far.

The official Xinhua News Agency, citing regional officials, said more than 10,600 people were known to be still buried almost one week after the 7.9 magnitude quake hit, shattering thousands of buildings in dozens of towns and cities in Sichuan province.

A group of about 15 people surrounded an Associated Press reporter at a gasoline station in Miangyang city Sunday, appealing for help for their village, Xiushui.

"The government is doing nothing to help us," said one man who identified himself only by his surname, Chen. "If I gave you my complete name the government would track me down."

He said Xiushui was about 12 miles from Mianyang, which is north of Chengdu. Chen did not say how many people lived there, handing over a note which said it had been signed "by the people of Xiushui."

"Please go to our village of Xiushui to cover the situation. The government is doing nothing to help us get water or housing," the note said.

More than 200 rescuers from Japan, Russia, South Korea and Singapore are searching alongside Chinese soldiers.

More international aid was arriving, with a U.S. Air Force cargo plane loaded with tents, lanterns and 15,000 meals landing Sunday in the Sichuan provincial capital of Chengdu.

"We are extending the helping hand of a friend to you in the aftermath of this terrible earthquake," U.S. Gen. Charles Hooper said.

The number of security forces helping victims rose to almost 150,000, and the government added cash payments to victims to its response.

The government would give $715 in compensation to each family that lost a member in the earthquake, China National Radio reported Saturday on its web site. At a State Council meeting hosted by Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing, the government also decided it would also hand out a daily ration of food and $1.40 to survivors, the report said.

Almost a week after the quake struck, rescues were still occurring.

Rescuers pulled at least seven more survivors from collapsed buildings, the last a man saved after 128 hours. Both of his legs had to be amputated. Another, 20-year-old highway worker Jiang Yuhang was pulled free shortly after his mother arrived from a neighboring province.

"I was expecting to see my son's body. I never expected to see him alive," his mother, Long Jinyu, said on state television.

Experts say buried earthquake survivors can last a week or more, depending on factors including the temperature and whether they have water to drink, but that the chances of survival diminish rapidly after the first 24 hours.

Nearly a week after the quake, soldiers who first arrived with little but shovels were better supplied. In the town of Yinghua, rescuers worked through the day, using saws, drills, torches and hands, to free 31-year-old Bian Gengfeng from the wreckage of a six-story chemical factory.

A man rescued from the same site Friday told rescuers that he had been talking with a woman still trapped, setting off Saturday's effort.

"Uncle called me yesterday and said 'mom was alive' and I should come and wait here," said 10-year-old Luo Ting, who watched her mother being rescued.

Xinhua said Russian rescuers had found a 61-year-old woman alive late Saturday after being buried for 127 hours, the first survivor found by foreign workers.

"I express heartfelt thanks to the foreign governments and international friends that have contributed to our quake relief work," Chinese President Hu Jintao was quoted as saying by Xinhua Sunday.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gBr_dOzJ9Pnc_U9gSgtTgE-cR-KwD90NREQ00

Gert van der Hoek · May 18, 2008

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

China searches for quake survivors, toll nears 30,000

Sat May 17, 2008 11:02pm EDT

* More survivors found; toll near 30,000

* Strong new aftershock, magnitude 6.1

* Weather, treacherous terrain affect rescue work

(Recasts, updates throughout)

By Chris Buckley

BEICHUAN, China, May 18 (Reuters) - Thousands of soldiers and families looking for missing kin streamed into one of the worst affected areas of China's massive earthquake on Sunday, as a strong new aftershock hit and the death toll neared 30,000.

Rescue workers have plucked more than 60 more survivors from the rubble following Monday's quake in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, even as hopes fade for the estimated 10,000 people or so still trapped under the rubble.

The United States Geological Survey reported a tremor of 6.1 magnitude early on Sunday centred 80 km (50 miles) west of Guangyuan, the latest in a series of aftershocks to hit Sichuan.

The official Xinhua news agency said there was no immediate word of additional damage or casualties in the area.

In the provincial capital, Chengdu, some 200 km south of the new tremor's epicentre, buildings swayed and people rushed out into the streets, risking a soaking from a passing storm.

But nuclear facilities close to the affected zone, including China's chief nuclear weapons research lab, are "all in a safe and controllable state", Xinhua said.

In Beichuan, hard hit by the quake and which many people fled on Saturday following warnings a dam may collapse, worried relatives quarreled with police who tried to prevent them entering the area, citing safety reasons.

"I've travelled all this way, and I don't know where my father is," said Chen Shiquan, who had come back from the neighbouring province of Qinghai where he works to look for this father, Chen Xiaoqu.

"To let me get this far and then not let me in is too cruel," he added.

In Yingxiu, close to the epicentre of Monday's 7.9 magnitude quake, at least 56 people were rescued, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Soldiers engaged in relief work "have their hands stained with blood and earth after days of searches in the debris", Xinhua added.

Thousands of people have fled in the Beichuan area amid fears a lake could burst its banks, hampering rescue efforts after the deadliest earthquake in more than three decades.

At least one barrier lake, formed after rocks blocked a river, has burst its banks but caused no casualties, Xinhua said.

Fu Xingyue, looking for his daughter who was supposed to turn six the day after the quake happened, brushed off safety concerns.

"I don't think the dam is a big threat, and anyway, there's nothing I can do. I have to keep searching," said Fu, who works as a truck driver and has spent days desperately searching though rubble and shouting out his daughter's name.

BAD WEATHER, AFTERSHOCKS

Rescue work has been complicated by bad weather, treacherous terrain and hundreds of aftershocks.

President Hu Jintao urged emergency workers not to give up efforts to find survivors. "We should put people first and saving people's lives is still the top priority of the relief work," he said.

Offers of help have flooded in and rescue teams from Japan, Russia, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore have arrived. Donations from home and abroad have topped 6 billion yuan ($858 million).

Fujiya Koji, head of the Japanese rescue team in Sichuan, told Reuters that chances of finding more survivors were low.

"We haven't been able to find any survivors yet. Generally by this stage the likelihood of survival is low. They say they have been finding some in Beichuan and we'll certainly keep trying," he added.

China has said it expects the final death toll from the earthquake to exceed 50,000. About 4.8 million people have lost their homes and the days are numbered in which survivors can be found.

Premier Wen said the quake was "the biggest and most destructive" since before the Communist revolution of 1949 and the quick response had helped reduce casualties. ($1=6.990 Yuan) (Additional reporting by John Ruwitch; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

http://www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSPEK338498

Gert van der Hoek · May 18, 2008

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Treyfish said:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=645 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=style2 align=middle>Quake-caused lake bursts, no casualties reported </TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#cccccc height=1></TD></TR><TR><TD align=right height=25>
Adjust font size:
Adjust font size:<SCRIPT language=javascript type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT><SCRIPT langage="javascript"> printResizeButton(); </SCRIPT>

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=630 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=style3 style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; PADDING-TOP: 10px">
A barrier lake, which was formed by the blocking of a river in quake-hit Sichuan Province breached but caused no casualties, rescue headquarters said on Saturday.

The lake formed in the upper reaches of the Jianjiang River in Pengzhou City with a volume of 1.6 million cubic meters. It burst at 2:30 pm Friday, according to the general headquarters for quake relief under the State Council.

Residents in the downstream were evacuated in time. The burst caused no casualties, the headquarters said.

A reservoir downstream also discharged water in advance so as to receive the water from the lake.

Many barrier lakes formed after Monday's 7.8 magnitude earthquake caused landslides, which blocked rivers.

Experts were also closely monitoring another barrier lake in Beihcuan County. The lake was threatening the county seat downstream.

There had been no burst of reservoirs in the quake-hit areas, the headquarters' team in charge of water facilities said.

Liu Ning, Ministry of Water Resources' engineer-in-chief, told Xinhua on Saturday some water facility projects, such as reservoirs and hydroelectric stations suffered damages after the quake.

To prevent new disasters, the ministry had dispatched 25 work teams to check affected reservoirs, Liu added.

(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2008) :tiphat:

http://66.102.9.104/translate_c?hl=...an_earthquake/2008-05/18/content_15301225.htm

thanks to Treyfish

gsgs · May 18, 2008

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

where did the 1.25M evacuation number come from ?

just curious how such news evolve,mutate,recombine

when the "thousands" fled, did they have the news that the dam was broken ?
It wasn't at Xinhua at that time, AFAIR.

Gert van der Hoek · May 18, 2008

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Lakes overflow in earthquake-hit county

www.chinaview.cn 2008-05-18 11:59:43

Special report: Strong Earthquake Jolts SW China

QINGCHUAN, Sichuan Province, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Three barrier lakes, which were formed by the blocking of a river in quake-hit Sichuan Province, overflowed Sunday morning but have caused no emergencies, local rescue headquarters said on Sunday.

The three lakes, formed in Qingchuan county, had a volume of more than 10 million cubic meters, said an official with the headquarters for quake relief of Qingchuan County.

More than 20 million cubic meters of rocks slid after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on May 12 and formed the lakes.

Nearly 60,000 people live in seven towns and a county seat in the lower reaches of the three lakes.

The county has decided to allow natural overflowing and artificially divert water to ensure safety.

Many barrier lakes formed after the earthquake.

There had been no burst of reservoirs in the quake-hit areas, the headquarters' team in charge of water facilities said.

Liu Ning, Ministry of Water Resources' engineer-in-chief, told Xinhua on Saturday some water facility projects, such as reservoirs and hydroelectric stations, suffered damages after the quake.

To prevent disasters, the ministry has dispatched 25 work teams to check affected reservoirs.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/18/content_8198555.htm

Gert van der Hoek · May 18, 2008

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

China Says 205,371 People Evacuated From Quake Zone (Update1)

By Dune Lawrence and William Bi

May 18 (Bloomberg) -- China's military said it evacuated 205,371 people from areas hit by the country's deadliest earthquake in 32 years, as aftershocks disrupted relief efforts in Sichuan province.

Military personnel pulled 21,566 people from the rubble in the six days since the quake, Ministry of Defense spokesman Hu Changming told journalists in Beijing today. The death toll increased to 32,477, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

``They are operating under very harsh conditions,'' Hu said. ``We are in a crucial phase of the rescue and recovery.''

The 7.9-magnitude quake injured 220,109, according to the latest official tally today. It also leveled more than 4.7 million houses in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. Sichuan's civil affairs office provided shelter to 4.8 million displaced people at 2,885 locations as of yesterday, the government said.

Two U.S. military transport planes delivered food, blankets and electrical generators to Sichuan. The C-17 Globemaster aircraft from the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii landed today 90 minutes apart in the city of Chengdu, about 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) southwest of Beijing.

``The United States remains ready to assist in any way possible,'' General Charles W. Hooper, defense attach? at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, said in Chengdu today. ``We are extending the helping hand of a friend to you in the aftermath of this terrible earthquake.''

Foreigners Arrive

China has allowed more than 200 foreign nationals to join the search-and-rescue effort as the country's own soldiers and medical personnel continue to dig through the rubble of destroyed towns looking for survivors.

Shen Peiyun, 53, was pulled out of the rubble in Yingxiu town in Wenchuan county near the epicenter 148 hours after the quake, Xinhua said today. Only three others have been found alive since yesterday and one of those has since died, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

``The earthquake relief is still a grim struggle, the task is arduous and time is pressing,'' China's President Hu Jintao said late yesterday in comments published on the central government Web site. ``I express heartfelt thanks to the foreign governments and international friends that have contributed to our quake-relief work.''

Attention is switching from rescue efforts to looking after several million refugees who have arrived in the cities of Mianyang and Chengdu seeking shelter. The U.S. planes also brought in more than 15,000 ready-to-eat meals, 655 tents and 2,592 lanterns, said Barbara Dias, public affairs duty officer for the U.S. Pacific Command in Camp Smith, Hawaii.

Quake Refugees

In Mianyang, northeast of Chengdu, the corridors of Jiuzhou Stadium were filled with refugees, with the interior reserved for infants and toddlers. The facility had been divided into zones, each with a team leader and its own police guards.

There were mobile toilets to supplement the permanent facilities, water dispensers, laptops to surf the Internet and free phone calls provided by China Unicom Ltd. and China Mobile Ltd., the nation's two largest wireless operators. The stadium smelled of disinfectant. Psychological counseling was available.

Sichuan province needs 2.6 million tents to house displaced people and rescue workers, Vice Governor Li Chengyuan told reporters yesterday.

Earthquake survivors facing difficulties will get a daily allowance of 500 grams (1.1 pounds) of grain and 10 yuan ($1.43) in cash for 3 months, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said.

The National Development and Reform Commission estimates 10 million people will need food rations for three months, it said in a statement on its Web site today. The commission is working on a plan to transport more grains to the area.

Preventing the spread of disease is the ``key'' public health issue facing China, the World Health Organization said. There were no reports of outbreaks of epidemics or public health threats by midnight yesterday, the Ministry of Health said, according to Xinhua.

`Adequate' Supplies

``Most of the medical supplies are adequate,'' Cai Dayi, director at an orthopedic hospital in Dujiangyan near the quake's epicenter, said today in an interview. ``However, we are running low on surgical masks.''

Teams from Japan, Russia, South Korea and Singapore are in Sichuan helping with the disaster relief. Three Russian planes arrived yesterday and delivered 90 tons of humanitarian aid, Xinhua said, citing Russia's emergencies ministry. The cargo included diesel power generators, sugar, canned meat and rice, according to the report.

The May 12 earthquake was the most powerful to hit China, the world's most populous country with 1.3 billion people, since a magnitude-8.6 quake struck Tibet in 1950, killing 1,526. A 7.5-magnitude temblor in Tangshan in the northeast killed 250,000 in 1976, according to the USGS.

Flooding Threat

Aftershocks and the possibility of flooding from dirt- filled lakes and rivers are threatening survivors and rescue workers alike. A quake measuring 5.7 shook the area at 1:08 a.m. today, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site.

``There have been daily aftershocks and it seems as though we are sitting on top of a row of spring coils,'' said Zhu Huiqin, a 54-year-old doctor from Xuchang Communications Hospital in eastern Henan Province.

Zhu was part of a group of 26 medical personnel from the hospital who are camped at the Zipingpu Dam, upriver from the town of Dujiangyan near the epicenter. Dam workers had assured her the structure was undamaged, after reports it was unsafe.

``No one has come to notify us about any problems,'' she said. Yao Jiangwei, a 22-year-old colleague of Zhu, said dam workers had been adjusting water levels so boats can transport survivors to safer areas.

The China Meteorological Administration forecast rain to start falling in the quake zone from May 20, raising the risk of landslides and the possibility of higher water levels in already damaged dams. Conditions are expected to be cloudy for today and tomorrow, the weather agency said.

Nuclear facilities in the quake zone were confirmed to be safe after officials made checks, Air Force Major General Ma Jian, said today at the Defense Ministry press briefing.

To contact the reporters on this story: William Bi in Mianyang at wbi@bloomberg.net; Eugene Tang via the Beijing bureau on eugenetang@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: May 18, 2008 05:31 EDT

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aeYJbesWy_5g&refer=home

Gert van der Hoek · May 18, 2008

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Thousands flee as China lake bank feared broken

By John Ruwitch and Jason Li

Sat May 17, 7:36 AM ET

Thousands of Chinese fled to the hills on Saturday amid fears a lake formed near the epicenter of this week's earthquake would burst its banks.

The water level at the lake formed after aftershocks blocked a river was rising rapidly in Beichuan and "may burst its bank at any time," the official Xinhua news agency said.

A paramilitary officer told Reuters the likelihood of the lake bursting its banks was "extremely big."

A witness said by telephone the military was evacuating everyone in Beichuan, even rescue workers.

A Reuters journalist fled an area near the Beichuan Middle School, which President Hu Jintao visited on Friday. Soldiers were talking on the radio saying "all retreat" and there was a lot of dust in the air. Troops were leaving fast.

China has said it expects the final death toll from Monday's 7.9 magnitude earthquake to exceed 50,000. About 4.8 million people have lost their homes and the days are numbered in which survivors can be found.

Cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin, taking a long pause to compose himself as he read from an updated casualty report at a news conference, put the death toll so far at 28,881.

Sichuan Vice-Governor Li Chengyun said more than 188,100 people have been injured and about 10,600 people remain buried under rubble. About 2.6 million tents are needed to shelter 4.8 million displaced residents, he added.

Hong Kong cable television said some 1.2 million people were also being evacuated in Qingchuan, 90 km (55 miles) northeast of Beichuan, as rising waters threatened to burst a lake's banks.

There has been growing concern about the safety of dams and reservoirs which have been weakened in the mountainous province of Sichuan, an area about the size of Spain.

A cable repair worker was killed on Saturday, five days after the original disaster, when hit by rocks as a moderate aftershock, one of hundreds, hit Lixian county.

Many survivors were also found, including a German tourist who was pulled from rubble in Wenchuan after being buried for 114 hours, Xinhua said.

A 69-year-old villager was one of 33 people rescued in Beichuan. He was buried for 119 hours. Troops evacuated 18 scientists trapped in a forest in nearby Mianzhu.

On Friday, soldiers pulled 2,538 people from rubble, only 165 of whom were still alive, the cabinet spokesman said, an indication hope of finding survivors was slim.

"Although the time for the best chance of rescue, the first 72 hours after an earthquake, has passed, saving lives remains the top priority of our work," President Hu told distraught survivors just over a week after a jubilant China celebrated the Olympic torch reaching the summit of Mount Everest.

BIGGEST SINCE THE COMMUNIST REVOLUTION

Premier Wen Jiabao said the quake was "the biggest and most destructive" since before the Communist revolution of 1949 and the quick response had helped reduce casualties.

That compares even with the 1976 tremor in the northern city of Tangshan which killed up to 300,000 people.

And as the weather gets warmer, survivors were worried about hygiene and asking questions about their longer-term future.

"What we don't need now is more instant noodles," said truck driver Wang Jianhong in the city of Dujiangyan. "We want to know now what will happen with our lives."

In Sichuan and neighboring Chongqing, at least 17 reservoirs have been damaged, with some dams cracked or leaking water. Several are on the Min river, which tumbles through the worst-hit areas between the Tibetan plateau and the Sichuan plain.

The Lianhehua dam, built in the late 1950s northwest of Dujiangyan, showed cracks big enough to put a fist in.

"When the dam is in this shape, we cannot feel relaxed," said farmer Feng Binggui who has moved from his village below the dam into the hills.

China is also on precautionary alert against possible radiation leaks, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said. The country's chief nuclear weapons research lab is in Mianyang, along with several secret atomic sites, but there are no nuclear power stations.

China has sent 150,000 troops to the disaster area, but roads buckled by the quake and blocked by landslides have made it hard for supplies and rescuers to reach the worst-hit areas.

Offers of help have flooded in and foreign rescue teams from Japan, Russia, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore have arrived. Donations topped 6 billion yuan ($857 million).

(Additional reporting by Chris Buckley in Dujiangyan, Guo Shipeng and Benjamin Kang Lim in Beijing, and Donny Kwok in Hong Kong; Editing by Myra MacDonald)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080517/wl_nm/quake_dc;_ylt=Aiq7rGxIJMDxQd41QvXD8y4DW7oF

Gert van der Hoek · May 18, 2008

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

21 landslide dams threaten China's quake-hit areas

www.chinaview.cn 2008-05-18 18:02:36 Print

Special report: Strong Earthquake Jolts SW China

CHENGDU, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Massive landslides following Monday's 7.8-magnitude earthquake have dammed rivers and lakes in several counties of southwest China's Sichuan Province, posing threats to downstream areas, the water conservancy authority said on Sunday.

Twenty-one landslide blockages had been reported in the counties of Beichuan and Anxian counties in the city of Mianyang, Qingchuan county of Guangyuan, Mianzhu and Shifang cities of Deyang, and Pengzhou city near the provincial capital Chengdu.

River waters overflowed three of the blockages in Qingchuan county on Sunday morning, but posed no danger, the local relief headquarters said.

The most dangerous build up of water, about 3.2 kilometers upstream from Beichuan county seat, measured nine km long, 200 to 250 meters wide and 40 meters at the deepest sections.

With an estimated volume of 30 million to 40 million cubic meters, it was a major threat to the Beichuan county seat and its downstream areas, the Sichuan provincial water conservancy bureau said.

Another seven landslide blockages were found in Beichuan county, about 160 km from the epicenter, Wenchuan. The quake killed at least 7,000 people in the county.

People were evacuated from the areas as a precaution from Friday.

At least two water conservancy specialists are monitoring each of the blockages, accompanied by at least 10 People's Liberation Army personnel.

Monday's quake and the thousands of aftershocks damaged some water storage facilities in Sichuan Province, though no burst reservoirs were reported.

The Ministry of Water Resources has sent 25 work teams to monitor the reservoirs and prevent disasters, the ministry's chief engineer Liu Ning said on Sunday.

China's quake death toll rose to 32,477 as of 2 p.m. on Sunday, including 31,978 in Sichuan. An additional 220,109 people were injured nationwide, according to the emergency response office of the State Council.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/18/content_8200440.htm

gsgs · May 18, 2008

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

> QINGCHUAN, Sichuan Province, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Three barrier lakes, which were
> formed by the blocking of a river

maybe this one :
http://www.qczsj.gov.cn/showdetail.asp?id=431

earlier quote:

> Multiple landslides set off by the powerful earthquake blocked parts of the Qingzhu
> River in the Hongguang Township in the Qingchuan City, and formed a large stretch
> of water, which experts with the Sichuan land resources department said exceeded
> 10 million cubic meters.

I found a lake at 32.69N , 105.49E
also Muyu to the east, where the prime minister went.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-05/18/content_6693525.htm
> Nearly 60,000 people live in seven towns and a county seat in the lower reaches
> of the three lakes.

map:

http://magictour.free.fr/china1.png

Gert van der Hoek · May 18, 2008

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Re: Thousands flee overflowing lake in quake province

Survivors flee flooding threat

| May 19, 2008

THOUSANDS of earthquake survivors fled tent camps and villages across the ravaged landscape of southwestern China at the weekend after the Government warned that several lakes and rivers were close to overflowing because of landslides.

Compounding survivors' misery, the US Geological Survey reported a 6.1-magnitude tremor early yesterday centred 80km west of Guangyuan, the latest in a series of aftershocks to hit Sichuan province.

Rescuers who plucked more than 60 survivors from the rubble at the weekend, six days after the 7.9-magnitude quake hit, were forced to abandon their work for several hours late on Saturday as fears grew that blocked rivers would flood the area.

Residents and workers fled Beichuan county, near the quake's epicentre, spurred by mobile phone text messages sent by local government officials warning that water levels were rising and people downstream were being evacuated.

In one of the worst-affected areas at Qingchuan, 90km northeast of Beichuan, people were being evacuated as rising waters threatened to burst a lake's banks. At least one barrier lake, formed after rocks blocked a river, burst its banks but caused no casualties.

A mountain sheared off by the quake blocked the Qingzhu river and swallowed the village of Donghekou, entombing people in a huge mound of earth. But an official said yesterday the flooding danger had eased.

The death toll from the most severe quake to hit China in more than three decades rose to 32,477 yesterday, but the Government fears the figure will pass 50,000. Officials said more than three million homes were destroyed by last Monday's quake, and more than 12 million were damaged.

Rescue workers returned to Beichuan county, in Sichuan province, but many residents were too frightened to go back.

A paramilitary officer said earlier that the likelihood of the lake bursting its banks was "extremely big". The situation was "very dangerous because there are still tremors causing landslides that could damage the dam", said Luo Gang, a building worker who left the southeastern port city of Xiamen and rushed home to search for his fiancee.

Rescue work was complicated by bad weather, treacherous terrain and hundreds of aftershocks. "Although the time for the best chance of rescue ... has passed, saving lives remains the top priority of our work," President Hu Jintao told survivors.

As the weather becomes warmer, survivors were worried about hygiene, and asked about their long-term future.

Arturo Pesigan, the World Health Organisation's emergency aid officer for the region, said: "Unsafe food and a lack of access to safe water, facilities for personal hygiene and safe sanitation arrangements all create a real risk for outbreaks of infectious disease at any time.

"But after a disaster, these conditions, added to overcrowded temporary shelters, heighten the danger," Dr Pesigan said. In Dujiangyan, relief supplies of instant noodles were readily available, but not clean water with which to cook them.

There has been growing concern about the safety of weakened dams and reservoirs in the mountainous province of Sichuan, an area about the size of Spain.

On Wednesday, the top economic planning agency in China reported that the quake had damaged 391 reservoirs. The same day, 2000 soldiers were sent to inspect cracks in the Zipingpu Dam, upriver from the hard-hit town of Dujiangyan, and to drain water from the reservoir.

In Sichuan and neighbouring Chongqing, 17 reservoirs were damaged, with some dams cracked or leaking water. Several are on the Min river, which flows through the worst-hit areas between the Tibetan plateau and the Sichuan plain. The Lianhehua dam, built in the late 1950s northwest of Dujiangyan, showed cracks big enough to put a fist in.

About 4.8 million people have lost their homes, and the days in which survivors can be found and saved are numbered .

Premier Wen Jiabao said the quake was the biggest and most destructive since before the communist revolution of 1949, and the quick response had helped reduce casualties.

Sichuan Vice-Governor Li Chengyun said more than 188,100 people were injured and about 10,600 remain buried under rubble. About 2.6 million tents were needed to shelter the displaced residents.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23719142-2703,00.html

Treyfish · May 26, 2008

Re: CHINA - 8.0 earthquake near Chengdu, Sichuan Province

Re: CHINA - 8.0 earthquake near Chengdu, Sichuan Province

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=830 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=830 colSpan=4>Tuesday, May 27, 2008

</TD></TR><TR><TD width=830 colSpan=4>Backed-up rivers a threat in China's quake zone

</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=520>Soldiers hauled explosives deep into China's disaster zone Monday to unblock a river threatening to cause a second round of destruction, as storms forecast for the region added to concerns about dozens of unstable quake-spawned dams.

<SCRIPT type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT>

Thousands of people have been evacuated from downstream of a lake that is swelling behind a landslide near Beichuan, one of the towns hit hardest by the May 12 tremor that devastated Sichuan province.
Some 1,800 soldiers, each carrying 22 pounds (10 kilograms) of explosives, clambered up mountain paths to reach the new Tangjiashan lake with plans to blast through the debris and drain the water, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Arriving late Monday, the operation was not expected to be carried out until Tuesday at the earliest.
Helicopters also flew heavy earth-moving machines to the lake region on Monday, after bad weather initially kept the aircraft on the ground, state media reported.
The Tangjiashan lake is one of dozens caused when the magnitude 7.9 quake sent millions of tons of earth and rock tumbling into some of the region's narrow valleys. Some rising floodwaters have already swallowed villages.
"The water was covering the road, and two days later I could not see the roof of my house anymore," said Liu Zhongfu, standing on a hillside looking down at the milky-green water that has submerged the town of Shuangdian.
A sofa and bits of wood that were once part of houses could be seen floating among the debris in the water. Villagers said that in recent days they had also seen corpses in the water.
Liu, a 31-year-old truck driver, was working away from home when the earthquake hit, causing a landslide that cut the Chaping river in An county, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Beichuan. His wife, 3-month-old daughter and 60 year-old mother were all unhurt.
"I thought I could go back but I have nothing now. My village, it's all become a sea," he said. "I'm trying to see my house for one last memory."
Pressure is building behind the dams as rivers and streams feed into the newly formed lakes. Officials fear that the loose soil and debris walls of the dams could crumble easily, especially once the water level reaches the top and begins cascading over.
Adding to the threat, thunderstorms were forecast for parts of Sichuan this week -- a foretaste of the coming summer rainy season that accounts for more than 70 percent of the 2 feet (60 centimeters) of rain that falls on the area each year. The China Meteorological Administration said the storms "could increase the risks posed by river blockages in some quake-hit areas." In An county, the Chaping river was backed up two miles (3.2 kilometers) along the valley, said Wang Li, county Communist Party secretary
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>We need to take care of this soon. This is a serious situation," he said.

<SCRIPT type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT>

The number of deaths from the quake climbed further toward an expected toll of 80,000 or more. The Cabinet said 65,080 people were confirmed killed, and 23,150 people were still missing.
The Water Resources Ministry said Monday that three small reservoirs in Shaanxi province, just north of Sichuan, were in danger of collapse after a strong aftershock hit on Sunday -- the latest of dozens that have rumbled across the region since May 12. A total 2,383 reservoirs were in danger across the country, the ministry said.
Elsewhere, 600 people were voluntarily evacuated from Guanzhuang in Qingchuan county because of landslide worries.
"There's no danger for this exact moment from flooding but we are very worried because the whole mountain is loose," said Ma Jian, a local official.
At a meeting presided over by President Hu Jintao, China's top Communist Party leaders signed off on plans to shift the massive relief effort's focus from rescues to resettlement and reconstruction.
Survivors were plucked from crumbled buildings for more than a week after the quake, though the number of such tales have dwindled. Meanwhile, tent cities -- some government organized, some makeshift -- have sprouted across the disaster zone where many of the 5 million people left homeless are living.
In Qingchuan city, hundreds of survivors were living in a mix of lean-tos and government-provided tents in a public square. People were crowded four or eight into a tent, where handouts of packets of instant noodles and bottles of water were also stacked.
With each aftershock, the survivors relive their horror at the quake two weeks earlier.
"I was so scared, I didn't know where to run," said Deng Zuequin, 50, a vegetable seller, describing Sunday's temblor. "In my mind all things are connected to the earthquake. The earthquake takes up every inch of my mind."
Many of the dead from the disaster were children -- although no specific numbers were known -- and officials in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, said Monday that families whose child was killed, severely injured or disabled would not be prevented under the country's one child policy from having another child.
The Education Ministry said it would investigate whether flawed school construction contributed to collapses.
"We will punish those who cut corners during school building construction and will have zero tolerance for corruption and shoddy school projects," spokesman Wang Xuming said in Beijing. Meanwhile, one of two pandas missing since the earthquake was recovered Monday, Xinhua said. The pandas had been missing from the famed Wolong reserve, located near the epicenter. :tiphat: http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/national news/2008/05/27/158212/p1/Backed-up-rivers.htm

Treyfish · May 26, 2008

Re: CHINA - 8.0 earthquake near Chengdu, Sichuan Province

Re: CHINA - 8.0 earthquake near Chengdu, Sichuan Province

Dam plans bombing suspension "is -26" Tang Shan to drop excavator

2008-05-27 06:52:41 复制本文地址传给QQ/MSN线上好友

2008-05-27 06:52:41 copy paper addresses passed on QQ / MSN online friends

【大字中字小字】【打印】【发表评论】

[Read the word Koaza] [Print] comment:
<STYLE id=_Custom_Style_>.h1 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-JUSTIFY: inter-ideograph; FONT-SIZE: 22pt; MARGIN: 17pt 0cm 16.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 240%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify}.h2 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-JUSTIFY: inter-ideograph; FONT-SIZE: 16pt; MARGIN: 13pt 0cm; LINE-HEIGHT: 173%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify}.h3 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-JUSTIFY: inter-ideograph; FONT-SIZE: 16pt; MARGIN: 13pt 0cm; LINE-HEIGHT: 173%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify}DIV.union { FONT-SIZE: 14px; LINE-HEIGHT: 18px}DIV.union TD { FONT-SIZE: 14px; LINE-HEIGHT: 18px}.h1 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-JUSTIFY: inter-ideograph; FONT-SIZE: 22pt; MARGIN: 17pt 0cm 16.5pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 240%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify}.h2 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-JUSTIFY: inter-ideograph; FONT-SIZE: 16pt; MARGIN: 13pt 0cm; LINE-HEIGHT: 173%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify}.h3 { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-JUSTIFY: inter-ideograph; FONT-SIZE: 16pt; MARGIN: 13pt 0cm; LINE-HEIGHT: 173%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify}.union { FONT-SIZE: 14px; LINE-HEIGHT: 18px}.union TD { FONT-SIZE: 14px; LINE-HEIGHT: 18px}</STYLE>

昨天上午，一架米-26重型运输直升机从绵阳机场起飞，经擂鼓镇吊运起一台挖掘机，成功空投至唐家山堰塞湖坝顶。

Yesterday morning, one m -26 heavy transport helicopters took off from the airport in Mianyang, the Leigu being lifted onto the town from a excavators, successful airdrop NO Yanse Hu Zhi Tang crest.

同时，多架次米-17军用直升机也陆续将人员和物资运抵坝顶。

At the same time, more than 000 metres -17 military helicopters will also be delivered to the top of people and goods.

这标志着唐家山堰塞湖空中抢险通道已经打通，抢险工作将提速。

This marks the Tang Shan Yan Sehu channel has opened up air rescue, rescue work will accelerate.

到昨晚记者截稿时，已有15台设备运至堰顶施工，堰顶控制高程已削下3米，由752米下降至749米。

At the time of the press, the 15 devices shipped to the top of Weir, Weir Top elevation has been cut under the control of three meters from 752 meters down to 749 meters.

同时，受唐家山堰塞湖可能溃坝的影响，四川第二大城市绵阳市昨日下午紧急启动?三分之一溃坝方案?，绵阳市下辖的5个县市区15.86万人开始向高处转移。

At the same time, the Tang Shan Yan Sehu the impact of possible dam break, the second largest city of Mianyang City, Sichuan Province yesterday afternoon launched an emergency "one-third of dam-break plan," Mianyang City administered the five urban counties have begun to 158,600 high The transfer.

?米-26?吊起13吨挖掘机直奔堰塞湖

"M -26" Diaoqi 13-ton excavator went straight to Yan Sehu

在等待4天以后，昨日上午11时，由中方租借的一架粉红色俄罗斯米-26直升飞机从绵阳北川擂鼓镇临时机场首先起飞，吊装着一台重达13.2吨的黄色推土机前往唐家山堰塞湖坝顶，执行工程抢险任务。

After waiting for four days, yesterday's 11:00, on loan from the Chinese side a pink helicopters from Russia meters -26 Leigu Mianyang, Sichuan town of North Provisional Airport first took off, hoisting a one weighing 13.2 tons of yellow bulldozers to Tang NO Yanse Hu crest, the implementation of projects and rescue missions.

此后，除去吊装和加油的时间以外，每隔15分钟左右就来回吊装一次，到下午17时30分，已经吊装了15台重型机械。

Since then, except for loading and refueling time, every 15 minutes on the back loading time, to 17:30 pm, 15 have been hoisting the heavy machinery.

到昨晚记者截稿时，唐家山堰顶控制高程已削下3米，由752米下降至749米。

At the time of the press, Tang Jiaxuan Weir Hill Top has been cut under the control of elevation three meters from 752 meters down to 749 meters.

绵阳15.86万人昨紧急转移

Mianyang 158,600 people last emergency transfer

受唐家山堰塞湖可能溃坝的影响，四川第二大城市绵阳市昨日下午紧急启动?三分之一溃坝方案?，绵阳市下辖的5个县市区15.86万人开始向高处转移。

Tang Shan Yan Sehu by the impact of possible dam break, the second largest city of Mianyang City, Sichuan Province yesterday afternoon launched an emergency "one-third of dam-break plan," Mianyang City administered the five urban counties Xianggao Chu 158,600 people began to transfer .

绵阳市副市长林新说，一旦唐家山发生全面溃堤，绵阳市区将拉响防空警报，届时全市将转移群众高达120万-130万人。

Lin, vice mayor of Mianyang City, said: Once a comprehensive Kuidi Tang Shan, Mianyang air defense will be sounding the alarm, when the city will shift the masses as much as 1.2 million -130 million.

?出现三分之一溃坝可能性最大，也是理想的情形，首先被淹没的是北川县城，洪水抵达绵阳市区则需6小时。?现场一位不愿透露姓名的绵阳市官员说。

"One-third of a dam break is most likely, is the ideal situation, the first to be submerged in the North-county, the floods arrived in Mianyang required six hours." Scene, speaking on condition of anonymity, Mianyang City, officials said.

目前群众撤离的进展如何呢？

At present the withdrawal of the progress of the masses? ?

林新介绍，北川县和江油市香水镇以上的区域已完成撤离，江油市香水镇以下至河口已完成距初始水位5米以内的人员撤离，共完成撤离人员3.5792万人。

Lin new, Beichuan County and the town of Jiangyou City perfume over the region has completed the withdrawal, following the town of Jiangyou City perfume to the estuary from the initial water level has been completed within five meters of evacuations, completed a total of 3.5792 million evacuees.

另据不完全统计，截至目前，绵阳市已有11.6万群众撤离到安全位置。

According to incomplete statistics, as of now, Mianyang City, 116,000 people have been evacuated to a safe location.

唐家山堰塞湖泄流槽有望10天之内修成

Tang Shan Yan Sehu discharge trough is expected within 10 days Xiu

水利部总工程师、唐家山堰塞湖抗震救灾前线指挥部副指挥长刘宁26日告诉记者，如果天气情况正常，应急疏导泄流槽将于10天之内修成。

Chief Engineer of the Ministry of Water Resources, Tang Shan Yan Sehu earthquake relief frontline command post, deputy director Liu Ning told reporters on the 26th, if normal weather conditions, emergency chutes will divert discharge within 10 days of Xiu.

刘宁说，大型设备运到唐家山之后，当务之急就是尽快把堰塞湖中不断增加的水尽快疏导至下游。

Liu Ning said that large-scale equipment transported to the Tang-shan, as soon as possible Yanse Hu is the top priority in the ever-increasing downstream to divert water as soon as possible.

关于泄流槽施工的具体方案，随时可能根据实际情况作出调整。

Construction on the discharge chutes of specific programmes, at any time may be adjusted according to actual situation.

炸坝计划为何中途搁浅？

Dam plans of the bombing ran aground in the middle ?

昨日各大媒体纷纷报道，有1800名部队官兵身背炸药挺进堰塞湖，准备实施炸坝计划，至昨晚，该计划并未实施。

Yesterday's major media have reported that some 1,800 troops than he led explosives into Yanse Hu, preparing for the implementation of planned bombing dam, to last night, the plan has not been implemented.

不少群众提出疑问：炸坝计划为何中途搁浅？

Many people ask: Why bombing dam plan ran aground in the middle ?

既然有这么危险的大坝，为什么不早点炸掉它呢？

Since there are so dangerous to the dam, why not it be blown up as soon as possible ?

绵阳市副市长林新回应说，第一，危险性很大。

Lin, vice mayor of Mianyang City, the new response to that first, very dangerous.

堵塞体的体积非常大，而且两边的山体在地震后极不稳定，都有裂口。

Plug the size of very large, and on both sides of the mountain in extremely unstable after the earthquake, have split.

怎么炸？

How bombing ?

放多少炸药？

Put the number of explosives ?

既能保证炸开一个缺口放水，又能保证上面的山坡山体不再垮塌，又不至于把大坝炸掉一半或完全炸垮，所以水利专家、地质专家们均认为很难实现。

Blast can guarantee a water shortage, can guarantee that the hillside above Mountain no longer meltdown, not the dam blown up half or completely collapse bombing, water conservancy experts, geology experts are of the view that it is hard to achieve.

其二，难以运送炸药。

Second, difficult to transport explosives.

因为堰塞湖四周的道路全部被垮掉的山体破坏，此前派出了多批专家人员试图登山，没有一个人能徒步登上坝顶，全部返回了。

Yan Sehu because all the roads surrounding the collapse of the mountain were destroyed, sent more than previously approved staff of experts trying to mountain climbing, no one can be boarded on foot crest, all returned.

直到23日采用直升飞机才将二十多个武警水电部队士兵和两个防疫人员送上了坝顶。

Until the 23rd by helicopter before water and electricity more than 20 armed police soldiers and two officers into the vaccination crest.

即使现在做出放水一部分的炸坝方案，光是炸药量就要10吨，将这么多炸药徒步背上山，难度很大。

Even now part of the bombing of a water dam programme, to just 10 tons of explosives, so many explosives the back foot mountain, it is very difficult.

另外，炸坝属于不得已才采取的行动，昨天天气转好，用直升机运送重型设备的工作终于取得突破性进展，因此炸坝计划中途搁浅也是必然的，重新成为后备方案。

In addition, the dam is no alternative to bombing the action taken yesterday, the weather turned for the better, by helicopter transporting heavy equipment work finally achieve a breakthrough, the bombing ran aground in the middle of dam plan is inevitable, and once again become the reserve programme.

据广州日报

According to Guangzhou Daily :tiphat: http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?h....com/zt/sxwc/zxxx/200805/t20080527_450238.htm

Treyfish · May 27, 2008

Re: CHINA - 8.0 earthquake near Chengdu, Sichuan Province

Re: CHINA - 8.0 earthquake near Chengdu, Sichuan Province

<TABLE class=lan18 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="97%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=hei22 vAlign=bottom height=25>Swollen lake tops China's quake relief agenda, draining, evacuation side by side
</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff height=4></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="50%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="97%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="48%">www.chinaview.cn

2008-05-28 00:12:30 </TD><TD class=hui12 align=middle width="26%"> </TD><TD class=hui12 align=middle width="12%">

Print</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="80%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=20></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=lt14 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="97%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=lt14>

MIANYANG, Sichuan Province, May 27 (Xinhua) -- A swollen "quakelake" in one of the worst hit areas in China's devastating earthquake has topped the country's agenda of relief work.
In a phone call on Monday night, Chinese President Hu Jintao told Vice Premier Hui Liangyu, who were in southwestern Sichuan province to oversee the quake relief work, that the relief task force must make sure no serious problems occur in the emergencies.
"We must put people first and the priority is to protect their lives," he said.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in Beijing on Tuesday the relief headquarters will evacuate residents from the area downstream of the lake and at the same time, try to drain the water. "We must well prepare and do the two parts of work side by side."
The lake, at Tangjiashan of Beichuan County in Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, was formed by landslides that blocked the Jianjiang River after the May 12 quake.
It was holding 130 million cubic meters of water, said Liu Ning, Ministry of Water Resources chief engineer, who is at Tangjiashan to oversee the diversion work.
Its water level was 727.09 meters on Tuesday, only 24.21 meters below the lowest part of the barrier, according to Mianyang City Quake Control and Relief Headquarters.
Hui flew to the lake on Tuesday morning to check the situation on ground. When he returned to Mianyang, he called a meeting to discuss plans to defuse the danger imposed by the quake lake.
"The Tangjiashan quake lake should be our most urgent task. It is threatening millions of lives in the area downstream and any negligence will cause new disasters to people who have already suffered the quake," he told the meeting.
The diversion work has been on the track, he said, "We will well prepare for the worst situation, taking account of any possible difficulties in draining the lake and evacuating the people".
So far, more than 70,000 people in Mianyang City have been relocated.
In total, 158,000 people from 169 communities in 33 townships of Mianyang will have to move from their homes if one third of the lake volume bursts its banks, according to an emergency plan drawn up for the contingency.
Hui asked the headquarters to perfect the contingency plans, check every detail and push ahead the work in an orderly fashion.
He stressed enhanced monitoring of the lake's situation. As of Tuesday noon, 26 sets of machines, five tons of fuel and 157 workers had been airlifted to the lakeside while about 1,200 soldiers arrived on foot carrying ten tons of equipment and explosives. The lake is inaccessible by road and can only be reached by foot or air. :tiphat:

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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/28/content_8265651.htm

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