“Why can’t they just release water and lesson the pressure?”
An Epic Times video said the dam’s operators had already opened all of the floodgates. That is not sufficient to release the volume of water expected as upstream floods make their way down to the reservoir.
Apparently, there is a water height were the pressure will collapse the dam, rather than just flowing over the top. I would imagine that if they blow the ship locks beside the dam that it would release more water, but doing so would create its own disaster. The Party’s problem is that any problem with the dam threatens the CCP’s legitimacy, so they will do as little as possible until it is too late. As it is, they didn’t tell anyone when they opened all the floodgates so people downstream were caught unawares and many more died than would have if they’d been warned in time to flee.
From what I’ve seen the CCP’s default strategy is to ignore the problem and hope it goes away until it is clear it won’t go away. Then, do whatever is expedient and deny it later.
“In top CCP news, we are pleased to announce the removal of the Three Gorges Dam has completed successfully, ahead of schedule for The Party’s Great Green Nature Restoration Project. In other news, a 200-year storm has caused extensive flooding leading to some loss of life and property. China Prevails! 2-Minute Hate at 11.”