Tsunami of Mud, Rocks, and Water.
Posted: Wednesday, August 18, 2010
by M E Reza
http://mereza.wordpress.com/
Never have we seen so many occurrences of landslides/mudslides over a short period of just a few months (May-August 2010), albeit happening in different locations. In late May 2010, heavy rains brought flooding and landslides which killed 53 people in China's south-western Guangxi region. Elsewhere in Jiangxi, landslides derailed trains and caused the temporary closure of the Shanghai-Kunming railway line. On 27th July 2010, a landslide similarly triggered, flattened part of a village in Sichuan, southern China killing twenty-one people. Huge amounts of rocks and mud which slid down Ermanshan Mountain engulfed dozens of houses in Shuanghe village. (i)
In mid-July heavy rains across southern and central China caused havoc, triggering landslides which left dozens of people dead or missing. Landslides occurred in Yunnan, Sichuan and Hunan provinces. In one of the worst incidents, 13 people were killed in Xiaohe village in Yunnan province, after the side of a mountain collapsed burying houses. (ii)
In the "deadliest mudslide" at Zhouqu, Gansu province, rescue workers could not use heavy machinery as mud blocked roads and bridges, leaving rescuers to dig with shovels and their bare hands. Thousands of rescue workers had to dredge through thick mud and debris. Access was almost impossible with roads blocked by mud several feet thick in places and bridges destroyed. Attempts to clear the sludge were severely hampered since there was no way to get in heavy equipment. In such hazardous situation, only survivors who had not been buried were found occasionally. Accumulated debris comprising rocks, cars, and chunks of buildings blocked a river nearby posing potential threats of further mudslides. The accumulated debris was only dislodged after soldiers used explosives to clear the river. As efforts to remove the blockage and prevent further mudslides proceeded, about 19,000 people living in two towns below the blockage point were evacuated.
In the Zhouqu disaster, mudslides engulfed the town, killing more than 1,200 people and leaving nearly 2,000 residents missing. Rescue teams dug out crushed homes and had to blast away the debris clogged river. The Zhouqu County in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province, a region dominated by steep and barren hills was hit by flooding and mudslides after a spate of torrential rains. Following the heavy downpour, runoff built up behind a landslide on the Bailong River which courses through the main town in Zhouqu. The flooding and mudslides were triggered after the clogged river burst through its levels. Both the Bailong River and the town are located in a narrow valley. At the height of the floods, it covered about half of the Zhouqu county seat, with a population of about 40,000 residents. The flood water reached up to three storeys high on some buildings. Hence when the mudslides struck many single storey houses were wiped out. (iii)
News reports conveyed pictures of mud and water covering town streets, motor vehicles being swept downstream and rescuers frantically digging through debris in search of victims. The mud dumped on the streets was up to two metres deep. The disaster struck at midnight when most of the victims were in their homes, asleep and unaware of what was happening .
Torrential rains which lasted overnight flooded the Bailong River, which became blocked with mud and debris, creating a 3-kilometre long lake. When the lake overflowed the sudden burst sent mud and rocks gushing into the town, smashing cars and toppling buildings. Part of the town was submerged under as much as one metre of water. The town's remote mountainous location and the amount of mud and water covering the area hindered the emergency response.
The area struck by China's deadliest mudslides in decades was already known to be vulnerable to flooding and landslips following heavy tree-felling and rapid hydro-development. Already deemed as "a high-occurrence disaster zone for landslides" the Bailong River that rushes through the valley risks getting swollen and pent up behind a loose dam of landslide debris. The 576-kilometre long (358 miles) Bailong River is considered to be in a fragile state, the river and its surrounding slopes already prey to manmade problems, its battered natural environment in urgent need to be rejuvenated. The Bailong River has been over-exploited by rapid hydropower development. (iv)
While Zhouqu received the world's full attention, another mudslide hit the south-western Chinese province of Sichuan killing five people and trapped more than 500. It was only two years ago (2008) when Sichuan was really hit hard by a massive earthquake in which at least 80,000 people died. Threats of more landslides along the Bailong River remained "relatively large" as more rains forecasted as of August 13 2010. On August 12th, an overnight deluge triggered mudslides which swept away six houses in Xizangba village, blocked a river near Libazi village, and obstructed a key road used to ferry relief supplies. Another mudslide in nearby Tianshui city buried seven people.
Looking at the mudslide disaster in Zhouqu in particular, do we see the potential for similar problems (Heavens Forbid!) in our jurisdiction? Has past economic activities left a negative impact on our own environment? Have we identified the potential hazard spots where the local populations are in direct danger of landslides/mudslides threats?
References:-
(i) BBC News. 27 July 2010. Deadly landslide as China rains continue. Chris Hogg.
(ii) Reuters. 14 July 2010. Death toll from China landslides rises
(iii) The Christian Science Monitor. China mudslides: Rescuers dig with bare hands, shovels for 1,300 missing. Peter Ford. August 9, 2010. Beijing
(iv) Reuters. China officials saw landslide risks before disaster. Tue Aug 10, 2010. Chris Buckley
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)I saw more mudslides on the news tonight. It's heartbreaking; those poor people.
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