Human Error Behind Drugchu Mudslide Tragedy[Monday, 24 January 2011, 12:25 p.m.]
Drugchu exploited its mountains, its water and its rivers and, in return, suffered a powerful mudslideDHARAMSHALA:
The rampant exploitation of natural resources increased the risk and
impact of last year’s powerful mudslide disaster in Tibet’s Drugchu
region which killed thousands of ordinary people, a top Chinese
researcher wrote in an article posted in China Dialogue.Over 1,239 people were killed and more
than 505 went missing in the disaster.
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| A view shows the landslide-hit Drugchu County, Amdo, Tibet/Reuters |
Jiang
Gaoming, the chief researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’
Institute of Botany, listed three major factors – indiscriminate
deforestation and building of hydropower dams and construction of
residential houses near river courses – which compounded the disaster.“The
area was known for its forests, rich water resources, fertile land and
pleasant climate. But after the felling of tens of billions of cubic
meters of timber and the construction of huge numbers of hydropower
dams, the area’s hill have been left barren and unable to absorb
rainfall,” he said.Mr Jiang corroborated his findings with
statistics of the region’s forest cover. “Drugchu county, known for its
rich vegetation, has 65% or 1,940 square kilometers land available for
forestry. Of this, 820 square kilometers, or 45% was actually forested,
a higher percentage than the natural average of 22%. Unfortunately,
these forests have been decimated by three decades of felling. In the
1970s, 80,000 cubic meters of lumber were already being chopped down
annually. Unchecked tree felling and trading eventually led to the
county’s forestry resources diminishing by 100,000 cubic meters per
year,” he said.“Following last August’s devastating mudslide,
reporters noted that the hillsides above the Sanyan valley, one of the
worst areas, were bare of trees and even the brush was sparse. Without
the vegetation, heavy rain was able easily to loosen soil and stones,
triggering landslides that threatened lives and property below,” he
added.Secondly, widespread construction of hydropower dams
along with the rampant deforestation has contributed to the area’s
vulnerability. “As many as one thousand large and small dams were built
on the main Bailong river with no thought given to upstream ecologies,
such projects have increased the likelihood of mudslides. The Bailong
flows through a zone that is prone to earthquakes and the quarrying of
stone from the banks of the river to build the dams has further
destabilised the hillsides,” Mr Jiang said.He further noted
that hydropower construction often conflicts with environmental
protection goals. “Dam-building has led to the destruction of forest
reserves, for example, and intervention by the forestry authorities is
rarely effective,” he said.“Between 2003 and 2007, contracts
for 53 hydropower projects were signed in Drugchu. Forty-one of these
have since been built or are now under construction and the remaining
12 will soon follow. Together, they account for 80% of the county’s
development projects. It is estimated that the under construction of
forty-one dams will result in the dredging of 38.3 million cubic metres
of sediment and the loss of 749,000 tonnes of soil. On completion of a
dam, water soaks the hillsides and loosens the earth, creating a
situation where landslides could happen at any time. The dredging of
sand also leaves the river bed covered in rocks which can be swept away
by floodwaters, making those floodwaters much more dangerous,” he said.The
third major problem is the lack of urban planning and construction of
residential houses near river banks. “Although mudslides and landslides
have raised awareness of the dangers among local people, there is still
a lack of urban planning and construction is still happening in
vulnerable areas. The narrow valley floor on which Drugchu lies is just
12 square kilometres in area. The population has been growing for
decades, and the only place left to build is the river banks. Property
developers see the Sanyan and Luojia rivers as their only option and
have been buying up land for construction,” Mr Jiang said.“The
riches of economic development are not as valuable as green mountains
and clear rivers. And it is ordinary, local people who are left to
endure the impacts of environmental disasters. The suffering in Drugchu
is environmental suffering. It is time for an approach to human
development that avoids putting environment, lives and property at risk
simply for the sake of economic growth,” Mr Jiang concluded.(Note: Researcher Jiang Gaoming used “Zhouqu” as the Chinese name for Drugchu in his article)
