Banqiao Dam

In the early 1950s, the Banqiao Dam was built in the Weihe River as part of the flood control and power generation plan to manage the Yellow River. The height is 387 feet (118 meters), storage capacity is about 17.4 feet.

In April 1951, with the help of Suhe Consultant, the construction of the Banqiao Dam began in the Weihe River as part of the provision of flood control and power generation projects. The building responded to serious floods in the Huai River basin in 1949 and 1950. The dam was completed in June 1952. Because there is no hydrologic data, design standards are lower than usual. After the flood of the Huaihe River in 1954, the upstream reservoirs including Banqiao were expanded, constructed and integrated. The height of Banqiao Dam increased by 3 meters. The water level at the top of the dam is 116.34 meters above sea level and the peak level of the wave barrier is 117.64 meters above sea level. The total capacity of the reservoir is 492 million cubic meters (398,000 acres), of which 377 million cubic meters (34 thousand acres) are used for flood storage. The dam is made of clay and its height is 24.5 meters. The maximum flow rate of the reservoir is 1742 m 3 / s

Banqiao Dam was built in 1952 when the government tried to "utilize the Huai River" after a series of floods in the Huai River basin. The flood plagued the area, and now the republic will now turn potential tragedies into direct power. Over this period, more than 100 dams were built in the plain of China. After several defects were discovered in Banqiao Dam in 1955, it was strengthened with the help of the Soviet Union and was called "iron dam." It is said that the dam will not break. James Palmer explains the characteristics of dam construction as an example of "arrogance of Maoism" in his book "Crack of Heaven, Impact of the Earth". .

Shortly after the Banqiao Dam was completed in 1952, cracks began to appear. Therefore, from 1955 to 1956, the structure was strengthened using Soviet regulations (later the Water Resources Bureau admitted that this is not suitable for this area). After the refurbishment, Banqiao was called "iron dam" reflecting the newly discovered invincibility. However, on 5 August 1975, the typhoon collided against the cold front in Henan Province, shortening the annual average precipitation in this area within 24 hours. The 106 cm rain that fell that day made the dum designer dwindle 30 cm, which is the daily limit of the dam designer. According to witnesses, there are many dead birds destroyed by heavy rain in this area.