unbelievable problems caused by the China quake

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The quake left a swathe of collapsed buildings in the steep, rainy mountain range that runs from southwest to the northeast. The dramatic shelf where the Tibetan plateau collides with the Sichuan basin is ideal for hydropower, while doubling the challenges of building roads, bridges and railways. "Upstream on the Min river is an important reservoir called Tulong which is already imperilled. If the danger intensifies, this could affect some power stations downstream," He Biao, deputy party chief of Aba prefecture, told reporters. "This is an extremely dangerous situation." The quake caused the 760-megawatt hydropower generating unit at Zipingpu, 9 kilometres upstream of Dujiangyan, to collapse, the provincial government said. It began operations in 2006, as part of China's program to develop its poorer western regions.

Water has been released at 50 percent more than average levels, to lower water levels in the Zipingpu reservoir and relieve pressure on the cracked dam, said the Ministry of Water Resources. "If Zipingpu develops a serious safety problem, it could bring disaster to Dujiangyan city downstream," where half a million people live, the ministry said. Cracks on the famous Yuzui or "Fish mouth" levee further downstream, the crux of the Dujiangyan system, are not serious, the ministry said. The ministry has dispatched teams to Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Gansu and Shaanxi regions to prevent dams that were damaged by the earthquake from bursting and endangering the lives of residents, it said. "Local governments should monitor (dam) projects, to discover and repair damage as soon as possible. In case of danger, make sure to transport people to safer places," Water Minister Chen Lei said. The massive Three Gorges Dam, hundreds of kilometres (miles) downriver from the epicenter, was not affected by the quake, officials said.)
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