China warns of dam collapses due to rain in quake zone: report

WATER WORLD

by Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) May 16, 2008
China's government is drawing up evacuation plans amid concerns that dams in areas hit by this week's earthquake could collapse if rain there persists, state media reported Friday.

The Ministry of Land and Natural Resources has ordered local governments in southwestern China to draw up plans to evacuate residents, the China Business News reported, amid forecasts of showers in the area.

The risk is particularly acute in devastated areas of Sichuan province such as Wenchuan and Beichuan counties near the earthquake epicentre, it said.

"Due to the serious disaster situation in Wenchuan, Beichuan and surrounding areas, the hidden dangers going forward are great," it quoted ministry experts as saying.

The government warned on Thursday of "dangerous situations" at more than 400 reservoirs in southwestern China following the quake, according to state media reports.

China's top economic planning agency said Friday it had allocated 53 million yuan (7.6 million dollars) in emergency funds to assess and repair damaged dams and reservoirs, Xinhua news agency said.

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WATER WORLD

China dam safe after quake: state media

Beijing (AFP) May 15, 2008
A dam near the epicentre of a powerful earthquake that hit southwest China is "structurally stable and safe", officials told state media Wednesday, denying earlier reports of dangerous cracks.

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