Locals scramble to higher ground as world's largest dam faces mounting pressure

9News (Australia) ^ | Jul 29, 2020 | Inga Neilsen

[BeauBo]

People in cities along China's Yangtze River, already swamped with water, are now scrambling to shore up embankments as the world's largest dam faces fast mounting flood pressure...

The Three Gorges Dam spans the Yangtze, Asia's longest river, which has become a raging torrent with storm water pouring into the reservoir of the dam at 60 million litres per second on Monday night.

On Tuesday morning, dam operator the China Three Gorges Group said water flow into the reservoir fluctuated between 50 million and 60 million litres per second.

And the peak flow has not eased, adding more than ten trillion litres to the mega-dam in just 10 days.

All arteries leading from the Yangtze River remain deluged by the third big flood this summer.

The China Three Gorges Group say they plan to hold as much water in the dam as possible to buy time for cities downstream to build up their defences.

According to local reports, the dam's operator has indicated there are 13 days left before the reservoir will fill to the brim.

[GSWarrior]

Somehow its got to be Trump’s fault too

Trump opted out of the Paris Accord. See what happened?

[semaj]

“Anyone else see a pattern here? “

.... I think your on to something.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Oops! 100 times greater, NOT 1,000 times as I original wrote.

[DesertRhino]

Make that sacred...but I guess scared works too.

[Paladin2]

TGD ~ 10x peak Niagara Falls.

[mrsmith]

OTOH “ if this dam blows”... there’ll be a lot less mouths to feed in China.

[Paladin2]

"it was leaking through underneath the thing."

Teton Dam

[BeauBo]

Locusts swarms started entering Southern China (Pu’er Region) on 28 June. Expected to be eating through September.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1307920/locust-swarm-invasion-china-news-latest-locust-plague-laos

[texas booster]

That is not long after the normalization of relations with PRC.

Was it a US company or were you working for a multinational?

I have heard of some fascinating stories of travel in the Chinese countryside. It seems that once one leaves the train station, travel becomes a true adventure.

[marktwain]

Who wants 100 million or so starving chinese causing major chaos?

The Chi Com regime has threatened us, and the entire existing world order.

They should not be saved unless they agree to a system which prevents such a threat from being enacted. Such a system would have enforceable measures to protect intellectual property rights, and to prevent Chinese bullying of their neighbors. It would require them to meet their agreements on the Law of the Sea, by giving up their claims on the South China Sea.

The Chi Coms will never agree to a system limiting their power to cheat, manipulate, and subjugate, so they will undergo considerable unrest.

Better our aid goes to factions within China who agree to our terms.

[krogers58]

I heard on good authority some years ago that the Hoover Dam was designed and built with a Safety Factor of 10.

They wanted to be able to build more...

As I understand dams, and safety factors, engineers look to different types of floods. For example, they would build a dam to withstand a flood that is typically expected to occur every 200, 500, or 1,000 year flood. So, I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing. I say that, because I'm an engineer, and each type of engineering has their own safety standards decided by their worldwide consortium of engineering societies. A bridge engineer may build a bridge to hold 10 times the weight he may ever expect could fit on that bridge, and that would be a safety factor of 10. With dams, I'd think (and I'm guessing, because I don't know) that the Chinese would have built this dam to hold back a 1,000 year flood, and perhaps a safety factor of 2, meaning it will hold twice the water that a 1,000 year flood will produce. At some point, it becomes wasteful to expend resources to the extent you think you can engineer all danger from a situation. Diminishing returns comes to mind.

Sometimes money that could have been spent "hardening" these mega-structures should instead be spent of infrastructure that can mitigate such disasters. For example, I'd have pretty darn good roads down river to be able to evacuate as many people as possible before I moved so many into place. I've read that if this dam fails, it will kill at least 200 million people, and possibly upwards of 600 million people. Regardless of how one feels towards the CCP, this human cost is going to be catastrophic, and will strain the world's ability to aid China. And, like it or not, we should be in the front lines of those who are there helping. It's who we are, and what we are about.

If this dam fails, it can be said that the CCP has lost the "mandate from Heaven" to rule the world, and the CCP will not survive the calamity. We have enjoyed the mandate from Heaven for many decades, because, though we may be like a bull in the China shop (no pun intended) we do try to do the right thing, though the last 2 - 3 decades, it has become open for debate. Pray for these poor people, and don't wish for the calamity to befall them, for it will be a truly human catastrophe, on a biblical scale. And God knows, I'm not a fan of the CCP.

[lefty-lie-spy]

Wow. Those pictures are amazing.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

I bet they wish they could.You just know its going to fail and they know it too.

[crz]

Actually, wasnt that the one which blew out in the center of the slope? A earthen dam anyways.

I remember when that happened.

[BeauBo]

“The Three Stooges dam?”

Good one.

Normally, this would have been a witty enough line to cause me to spit out my drink, but I am kind of caught between laughing and crying on this one.

[saintgermaine]

This is what the Chinese did not count on, even so ancient records may have told them. The same holds true for the general public as they are unaware of this cycle which is in the process of unfolding.

NOT ONLY ARE WE GOING INTO A NEW SOLAR MINIMUM BUT WE ARE ALSO IN THE PROCESS OF ENTERING ANOTHER 3600 YEAR REPTETIVE SIGNATUR CYCLE WHICH CAUSES SOME OF THE MAYEM WE ARE CURRENTLY SEEING AROUND THE WORLD. CHINA AMONGST MANY OTHERS (flooding & drought) FOR EXAMPLE

As we are going into another GSM (Grand Solar Minimum) chances are better than good that it will get colder instead of warmer. The major big one we had was the Maunder minimum from 1645-1715 and at that time the Thames in Great Britain froze over. Followed by another shorter Solar Minimum the Dalton Minimum 1890-1830 which also brought along all kinds strange events, amongst it the New Madrid quake 1811-1812 which was severe enough should it happen today Saint Louis would be no more than a fond memory, along with many other large cities close by. Matter of fact it was strong enough to cause church bells to ring in Boston.

Not only that but this will be in combination or conjunction with he 3600 signature cycle which we are gradually running into again and causing all kinds of havoc. The last time it reared its ugly head was in 1500- 1600 BC giving the then Pharaoh most likely Thutmose III (?) an Excedrin headache. These events were recorded in one of the world’s oldest history book THE BIBLE as the TEN PLAGUES.

Eventually culminating in an event which became known as the EXODUS or the release of the Israelis from bondage. The catch is or was that these TEN PLAGUES were not just a localized event showing up in ancient Egypt but were on a world wide scale as shown in ancient Chinese records dating back to about the same date.

In China, it was written during the reign of Emperor Qin c. 1600B.C. Chieh Dynasty In the twenty-ninth year of King Chieh [the last ruler of Hsia, the earliest recorded Chinese dynasty], the Sun was dimmed... the Sun was distressed... during the last years of Chieh ice formed in [summer] mornings and frosts in the sixth month [July]. Heavy rainfall toppled temples and buildings... Heaven gave severe orders. The Sun and Moon were untimely. Hot and cold weather arrived in disorder. The five cereal crops withered and died.

Events very similar what is taking place today in form of unusual flooding or immense amount of snow in other areas, along with an increase in earthquake activities as well as volcanic eruptions.

This combined with extreme cold in some areas and draughts in another, along with an increase as well as severity of earthquakes. As mentioned at he beginning of this writing, the last incidents took place approximately 1500 or 1600 BC now add to this our current date 2019 and we arrive at just about 3600 years, so chances are better than good that there is more on the way as we are approaching and heading into the full cycle. Needless to say do not expect any confirmation from official sources, if anything I expect nothing but denials.

So far the US has been relatively lucky compared to other countries, even so the LEFT COAST borders THE RING OF FIRE. Aside from some flooding we have remained fairly unscathed and I hope and pray that our luck will hold out.

[glasseye]

The last line from the article has me *worried...

“But the China Three Gorges Group said this year’s floods were “severe but not unprecedented” and no match for the reinforced concrete structure.”

*hint: Water always wins, always.

[Churchillspirit]

Thank you, Tiger. Very interesting.

Just hope the innocent people in the path of this torrent are able to evacuate.

[marktwain]

A good post. It boggles the mind to think of the destruction of a number of people equal to the entire population of the United States.

I do not wish for it.

I believe it is out of our hands.

It is in God's hands. That is as many people as were killed in all of WWII, the Soviet Gulags and the Chinese political famines.

It changes the entire geopolitical structure in ways which are not easy to predict...

[TigersEye]

FWIW I think your story is more fascinating than my facts.

Thanks to both of you for your replies!