Millions Spent on ‘Dangerously Weak’ Reservoir in Central China

A file image of the mouth of the Xiaolangdi water Reservoir on the Yellow River in central China's Henan Province. There are some 98,000 reservoirs in China. Teh Eng Koon/AFP via Getty Images

Millions of dollars have been spent on dredging and expanding a “dangerously weak” reservoir in central China that was built in 1958 during Mao Zedong’s disastrous Great Leap Forward.

A pilot project, with a reported budget of $490 million, is attempting to resolve long-standing sediment issues in Suyahu Reservoir in Zhumadian City, Henan Province.