China Floods: Dam Collapse

As floods ravaged China, dam bursts could more follow. Welcome back to China Uncensored, I'm Chris Chappell. Ah, China's beautiful Guangxi province makes me want to go for a refreshing swim in that river. Dive right in by the side of the road. Unfortunately, there are a lot of places to swim in China, right? Because record-breaking floods are happening across the country. All three of China's major rivers have flood alerts. And there are some serious concerns about whether China's dams can withstand it. Reuters says a recent dam collapse could point to a possible Black Swan disaster. It has nothing to do with actual Black Swans, it just means an incredibly rare event. With piles of rubble dotting a painterly Chinese landscape, a gaping, dried-up ditch is all that's left of a once-colossal dam in China's Guangxi province. Last reinforced 25 years ago, the dam was overrun by heavy flooding last month. It caused immense damage, inundating roads and swallowing up fields. Its collapse suggested that neglect left this reservoir open to disaster. But perhaps most concerning of all is what that might mean for the 94,000 other aging dams across China. Thousands of these dams were built in the 1950s and 1960s in a rush led by Mao Zedong to fend off drought in the agrarian society. But over half a century later, it's unclear how much longer they'll last. A Chinese official said in 2006 that dikes had collapsed at over 3,000 reservoirs over the past 50 years due to substandard quality and poor management. This dam collapse happened back in June, but was not reported by Chinese media. And of course, this has everyone nervously eyeing China's Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric dam in the world. The dam that collapsed in Guangxi is not the same type of dam as the Three Gorges Dam. But there have been concerns about the Three Gorges Dam for years. Some experts warn it could collapse. And if it does, millions of people would be devastated. In fact, just downstream is the city of Wuhan. It's a city of 11 million people, and it's had a rough year. Never fear. The Chinese Communist Party has come to the rescue, putting up a giant wall of propaganda. Chinese authorities have admitted that yes, the Three Gorges Dam may have, quote, deformed slightly, but it's totally safe. I personally find that very reassuring. Also really reassuring? This photo of the Three Gorges Dam releasing flood water earlier this week. Water had to be released after the water level in the reservoir was more than 50 feet higher than its flood limit level. Meanwhile, flooding in Anhui Province forced authorities to blast open dikes to release the pressure. I know that sounds bad. But you know what? There's nothing to worry about. In fact, there isn't even a flooding problem to begin with. Here's state-run media with more. The Internet keeps spreading the information about floods to your cell phone. It is the improved Internet access that gives everyone a false impression that flooding is getting more serious year after year, a state-run TV anchor said. This is totally normal flooding. Nothing to worry about. In fact, Chinese state-run media have described it as beautiful and fairy-like. Their news reports are full of positive energy and even describe the submerged cities as beautiful landscapes of lakes and mountains. So there isn't anything unusual about this flooding, other than it's unusually beautiful. Like this beautiful photo of a rainbow over the Three Gorges Dam as it releases tons of flood water. Feel better already? And now is the time when I answer questions from you, my loyal 50-cent army—fans of the show who support what we do through the crowdfunding website Patreon. BioPox asks, With all the dark, scary topics recently, how about a silly question? What is your—and anyone else on the team that wishes to answer—favorite color? BioPox, thank you. I'm so tired. Thank you for the silly question. So for me, personally, my favorite color, hands down, is octarine. It's the color of magic. It's kind of a fluorescent greenish-yellow-purple that can only be seen by wizards and cats. I'll let you guess which of those I am. Shelley? I like the fresh spring green color, new leaves. What Pantone described as their 2017 color of the year, greenery. A color that provides us with the reassurance that we yearn for amid a tumultuous social and political environment. I could use some effing reassurance right now. Matt? I like the color of microwaves. Not microwaves. Microwaves. They're 10,000 times more red than red. And not even Superman can see that color. Thanks for asking, BioPox. And for all of you watching, consider joining the China Uncensored 50-Cent Army. You'll have a chance to ask me questions on the show, and there are some other cool perks as well. Check out Patreon.com slash China Uncensored to learn more. Once again, I'm Chris Chappell. See you next time.