If there is one place most ill-equipped for a mega hydropower dam holding back cascades of water, it might very well be along a fault line. Yet China’s Myitsone project is slated for such a quake-prone site not far from the Sagaing Fault.
In addition to concerns of environmental degradation and displacement, opponents of the Myitsone dam have noted that if the water storage bank were to rupture in an earthquake, the flooding would stretch so far as to inundate the Kachin State capital, Myitkyina, 27 miles away (43.4 kilometres).
U Chit Ko Ko, a geological engineer from Australia’s New South Wales University, said the earthquake risk alone should prompt a revaluation of the temporarily suspended project. The National League for Democracy government next year will be tasked with choosing to axe or continue the project, which is funded by a Chinese state-backed energy giant.
“We need to observe the potential risks and benefits of the project via a team of experts,” he said, adding that such a survey could not be rushed.
Envisioned as a Myanmar-based twin to the Three Gorges project, the US$3.6 billion Myitsone would be the 15th-largest dam in the world. Despite its massive size, few environmental studies were conducted before the contract for the 6000 megawatt project was signed. (Courtesy of MMTimes)
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