Authorities in Tibet in southwestern China inspected more than a dozen dams after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake last week, and found cracks in five of them.
Tibetan emergency management officials said at a press conference on Thursday that three of the five affected dams have been drained since the January 7 earthquake, Reuters reported.
He said the wall of a dam in Dingri County, near the quake's epicenter, had tilted, leading officials to evacuate about 1,500 people in six villages downstream to higher ground.
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At another hydroelectric power plant dam, a monitoring device was installed during drainage.
The quake, which has killed at least 126 people and injured hundreds more, was a reminder of the risks of China and India's drive to build hydropower in one of the world's most remote and earthquake-prone regions.
Earthquakes have damaged dams in the past, particularly triggering landslides and rockfalls. A major earthquake struck Nepal in 2015, shutting down nearly one-fifth of the country's hydroelectric power plants for more than a year.
The earthquake that struck Tibet on January 7 was the fifth worst earthquake in China since the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. More than 3,600 houses were destroyed, religious buildings were damaged, and aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 continued to shake the region.
Southwestern China, Nepal and northern India are frequently hit by earthquakes caused by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. Tingri, which sits atop an area where the Indian plate is pushing beneath Tibet, is particularly vulnerable.
World's largest dam planned to be built near earthquake zone
Earthquakes and China announced in late December Plans to build world's largest hydroelectric dam Floods on the Brahmaputra River have alarmed neighboring countries, who say they could affect tens of millions of people downstream in India and Bangladesh.
Four days before the massive earthquake, India's foreign ministry said New Delhi had expressed concerns to Beijing about China's plans to build another dam on the Brahmaputra river. Bengal.
In these countries, the river is known as Brahmaputra.
Chinese officials have claimed that Tibet's hydropower project would not have a significant impact on the environment or downstream water sources, but India and Bangladesh have expressed serious doubts.
tibetan activist Claims China's dams in Tibet 'Threat to water supplyThe livelihoods and health of up to 1.8 billion people in China, South and Southeast Asia.
“We have urged China to ensure that the interests of countries on the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra River are not harmed by activities in the upper reaches,” Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing on January 3.
“We will continue to monitor and take necessary measures to protect our interests,” he said.
Construction of the dam, which will be the largest of its kind in the world and is expected to generate 300 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually, was approved last month.
Disputed Area New China County
Jaiswal said New Delhi also lodged a “strict protest” with Beijing last month against the establishment of two new counties – one of which includes disputed areas that India also claims.
“The creation of new counties will neither affect India's long-standing and consistent position on sovereignty in the region nor provide legitimacy to China's illegal and forcible occupation of the region,” he said.
Relations between Asian giants India and China In 2020, deadly military clashes will occur in the disputed border areas between the two countriesThe situation has been improving since an agreement was reached in October to withdraw troops from the last two standoff points in the western Himalayas.
Troops from both countries retreat after agreement Senior officials hold formal talks Last month, they agreed to take small steps to improve their relationship for the first time in five years.
- Reuters Additional input and editing by Jim Pollard
See also:
Neighbors worry about China building massive new dam in Tibet
Climate change costs China $32 billion in just one quarter
World’s second largest hydropower station launched in China – China Business News
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China plans to build giant tunnels to carry water to Beijing – South China Morning Post
China uses 3D printing to build Tibet dam – South China Morning Post
China Yangtze River sells Three Gorges power plant for $12 billion
China seeks to better adapt to climate change as risks rise
China's Brahmaputra dam plan could lead to India building one too
China worries about costs of climate change
China aims to boost GDP with $142 billion water project
