19 July 2010
A new landslide barrier lake in China
Posted by Dave Petley
China is suffering dreadfully from landslides this summer, with reports overnight of at least 20 fatalities in Langao County in Ankang in Shaanxi, and many more killed by landslides in Sichuan and Shaanxi. However, the CriEnglish website is tonight reporting on a new barrier lake that has formed in Chongqing, forcing the evacuation of 12,000 people. The slide is reported to have occurred on the Luojiang River in Chengkou County. The lake is now reported to have a volume of 15 to 20 million cubic meters of water, and to be
5 square kilometers in area and 18-meters deep! The report also suggests that the teams dispatched to deal with the problem are being slowed by the dreadful weather conditions.
If there is any country that can deal with a barrier lake it is China, but this will be interesting to watch.
Dave Petley is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull in the United Kingdom. His blog provides commentary and analysis of landslide events occurring worldwide, including the landslides themselves, latest research, and conferences and meetings.
Hi Dave, thanks for this report and please keep us posted on this lake in China. It will be quite interesting to see how the Chinese govt deals with this, as compared with their neighbors in the southwest. Thanks also for continuing to post on Attabad. I'd thought water levels were down until I read your latest.Cheers,