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BANQIAO RESERVOIR DAM FAILURE

ENGINEERING DISASTER CASE STUDY

CASE STUDY
Over 100 dams were built within the Zhumandian prefecture of Henan Province as a
response to ooding during the 1950s, one of the largest being the Banqiao reservoir. The
aim was to control oods and harness hydro electricity.

Built in the higher parts of the Ru River (a major tributary of the Huai River), Banqiao was
designed to withstand weather extremes of 0.53 m of rain over a 3 day period. It had a
storage capacity of 492 million cubic metres, a ood storage capacity of 375 million cubic
metres, and an overall height of 116m.

Elementary hydrology knowledge meant poor construction. Cracks in both dam structure
and sluice gates called for reinforcements, which hence named clay-walled Banqiao the
iron dam, believed to be incapable of failure.

Hydrologist Chen Xing expressed concern for the increasing amount of dams being built,
claiming ood diversion areas and raising the water tables way beyond what was safe. He
was indicted as a right-wing opportunist and taken away. Against his directions the
number of sluice gates in Banqiao was reduced from 9 to 5.

In August 1975 the rst downpour of Typhoon Nina proved 448mm within 16 hours, the
water level at 107.9m. Although sluice gates were opened, silt accumulation impeded their
draining ability. Floods severed both transportation and communication services. Two days
later, a third storm initiated Banqiao to erupt with the force of 600 million cubic metres of
water at 50km/h. Banqiao Iron Dam had not considered as needing danger assessment.

By this time 62 other dams had already failed. Burst dam waters combined with ood
areas to form a lake spread out for thousands of square kilometres. 26 000 people died,
145 000 people died during the famine caused, and overall 11 million were affected. 5 960
000 buildings collapsed, whole villages and towns submerged.

DESIGN ANALYSIS
Materials Comparison:

It is evident that the advantages of attaining hydro electric power was prioritised by Chinas
government over the need to control oods and the safety of the people. In terms of the
making/manufacture of the dam structure there was a lack of deep insight into hydrology
and the engineering between the geology of the land and the dams themselves - blind
Wednesday, 13 August 2014 of 2 2
trust was put into the ideal of a dam as an unfailing monument of engineering. Safety
precautions, such more than needed sluices, ood gates; as well as elimination of ood
diverting plains were compromised for a faster construction.

A back up system for transportation and communication in case of disaster was also
overlooked - due to lack both emergency crews could not access the stranded for two
weeks. As a consequence people suffered, which could have been prevented.

RECOMMENDATION#
Thorough analysis of the land geology could allow for design planning where there are run
off water areas in times of extreme oods. Higher number of sluice gates and regular
maintenance could increase the safety of the dams, as well as a larger safety factor
allowance for high water levels. Constructing the dam out of steel reinforcements and high
strength concrete would render the dam stronger. Safety in this case, ought to override the
need to save costs.

References:
The Catastrophic Dam Failures in China in August 1975. 2014. The Catastrophic Dam Failures in China in
August 1975. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/aug1975.htm. [Accessed 13 August
2014].
Banqiao and Shimantan Dam failures | The Energy Library. 2014. Banqiao and Shimantan Dam failures |
The Energy Library. [ONLINE] Available at: http://theenergylibrary.com/node/13072. [Accessed 13 August
2014].
The Forgotten Legacy of the Banqiao Dam Collapse - Economic Observer Online - In-depth and
Independent. 2014. The Forgotten Legacy of the Banqiao Dam Collapse - Economic Observer Online - In-
depth and Independent. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.eeo.com.cn/ens/2013/0208/240078.shtml.
[Accessed 13 August 2014].
The River Dragon Has Come!: The Three Gorges Dam and the Fate of China's ... - Dai Qing, John G.
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Engineering Failures The Banqiao Reservoir Dam Failure. 2014. Engineering Failures The Banqiao
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Oak Red Hardwood Sample Shipped to You! Lowest Price, Highest Quality for your wood working needs
from Woodworkers Source. 2014. Oak Red Hardwood Sample Shipped to You! Lowest Price, Highest
Quality for your wood working needs from Woodworkers Source. [ONLINE] Available at: http://
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. 2014. . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/1080-steel.html. [Accessed 13 August
2014].Concrete Mix Australian Builders 20kg - $7.56 : BCSands Online Shop - Building and Landscape
Supplies, we supply Sydney's best!. 2014. Concrete Mix Australian Builders 20kg - $7.56 : BCSands Online
Shop - Building and Landscape Supplies, we supply Sydney's best!. [ONLINE] Available at: http://
www.bcsands.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=20835. [Accessed 13 August 2014].