A breach happened to the dam of Bayi Reservoir in Wujiaqu City,
northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on January 22,
the New Year's Day according to Chinese lunar calendar. Several
companies of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps were
dispatched immediately to do the rescue work. By now, all 13,800
endangered residents have been evacuated and are properly
accommodated. No casualties have been reported though the waters
submerged?eight companies of the Xinjiang Production and
Construction Corporation (XPCC).
The dam leakages started in the afternoon of January 21.
A 60-meter-wide breach in?the reservoir dike? is
being narrowed thanks to efforts by over 2,000 soldiers, armed
police and militia in the past two days.
By 10 pm on Friday, the water gushed out from the reservoir,
known as "Bayi" or "August 1," at a slower speed of 30 cu m per
second, and the water level in the reservoir fell to 2.4 m, said
Zhang Qingli, Commander of Xinjiang Production and Construction
Corporation (XPCC).
"The situation is brought under control," said
Zhang.
The reservoir is located three kilometers north to the No. 102
Regiment of the Corp.. The water level is some 10-meter higher than
the regiment headquarters premises. Though some barracks nearby
were submerged, there have been no human or live stock casualty was
reported.
The Xinjiang Military Area has set up a flood relief
headquarters to put all the rescue work under its general command,
with everyone of its top officers and a senior official with the
central government's Flood and Drought Prevention Office being on
the spot.
According to Li Yongxian, a division commander of the Corps, the
reservoir was built in 1957 with a designed storage capacity of 30
million cubic meters of water and an actual capacity of 28 million
cubic meters. The current water storage of the reservoir is 23
million cubic meters.
A panel sent by the State Flood Control and Drought Relief
Headquarters has arrived at the flood-hit area.
(Sources from China.org.cn and Xinhua News Agency January 24,
2004)