China’s Numerous Aging and Tall Dams Pose a Serious Threat to Safety

This aerial view shows submerged streets and inundated buildings after a dam was breached because of flooding in Jiujiang, China, on July 13, 2020. STR/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

Before 1949, China had only 22 of the 5,000 large dams worldwide. Today, China’s top water resources official boasts that the country has since built 94,877 dams of various sizes.