China Water: May 25, 2008: China assesses quake damage to water systems

China is beginning to assess damage to the water systems in the quake zone.

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Peter Huston

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http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gBr_dOzJ9Pnc_U9gSgtTgE-cR-KwD90SIQIG0

China: 69 dams in danger after earthquake

By CHRISTOPER BODEEN – 7 hours ago

CHENGDU, China (AP) — Nearly 70 dams scarred by the force of China's most powerful earthquake in three decades were in danger of bursting, the government said Sunday, while looming rains added to worries about relief efforts for millions of homeless survivors.

The confirmed death toll from the May 12 quake rose to 62,664, with another 23,775 people missing, Cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin said. Premier Wen Jiabao has said the number of dead could surpass 80,000.

A magnitude 5.8 aftershock rattled the quake area Sunday afternoon, the U.S. Geological Survey said, causing office towers to sway in Beijing, some 800 miles away. There was no immediate information on any new damage caused.

State television reported Sunday that a survivor was rescued alive Friday, more than 11 days after the earthquake hit.

Xiao Zhihu, an 80-year-old bedridden man, was rescued in Mianzhu north of the provincial capital Chengdu after being trapped in his collapsed house, the report said. He survived because his wife was able to get food to him through the rubble, but there were no further details given or a reason for the two-day delay in reporting the rescue.

The Water Resources Ministry said in a statement Sunday that 69 dams in central Sichuan province were in danger of collapse, without giving any further details.

The government had earlier said some 391 dams had been affected by the quake, mostly small structures.

Sichuan is home to the world's largest water project, the Three Gorges dam located about 350 miles east of the epicenter, which authorities have said was not damaged in the quake.

Meanwhile, the State Meteorological Bureau said Sunday that parts of Sichuan would suffer "heavy and even in some areas torrential rains" later Sunday and Monday, warning of possible mudslides.

Some people paused Sunday to attend church almost two weeks after the quake hit. In Chengdu, worshippers gathered at the Ping'an Bridge Catholic church to say prayers for the victims.

A collection plate was passed around, and people gave everything from a few pennies to 100 renminbi notes ($15).

One worshipper, retiree Liang Biqing, 58, said the disaster had changed her views on China's place in the world and shown her that people globally all share the same troubles.

"This shows that there are no barriers, no nationalities, when it comes to disasters," she said.

China desperately needs tents to house quake victims, with more than 15 million homes destroyed in the disaster.

The first of eight Russian military transport planes carrying tents, medicine and food landed Sunday in Chengdu, the country's ITAR-Tass news agency said. Other aid flights were to arrive by Monday.

Sri Lanka has also sent tents, clothes and other relief materials, Xinhua said.


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http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKPEK14424620080525

China to review hydropower projects after quake


BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Sunday it will review the 13 planned hydropower projects in the country's southwest after the massive May 12 quake, but expects no big change to the plans.

"We are going to review these projects from the geological conditions and environmental impact after the quake. But we foresee no big change to the plans," Liu Ning, chief engineer of Ministry of Water Resources a news conference.

The southwest, including Sichuan province worst hit by the May 12 earthquake, is the country's hydropower base. Hydropower supplies more than one tenth of China's electricity needs.

The 7.9-magnitude tremor that hammered Sichuan nearly two weeks ago damaged 27 out of the 29 power stations along Min river and knocked out 4.4 gigawatts of power supply shortly after.

China has quickly restored most of the lost power supply, including the main Zipingpu power plant on the Min river, with its four generators resumed normal operations, E Jingping, Vice Minister of Water Resources told a news conference.

(Reporting by Chen Aizhu and Lucy Hornby; editing by Elaine Hardcastle)