http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2357967/Open-floodgates-Millions-tonnes-silt-forced-downstream-giant-dam-China.html Open the floodgates: Millions of tonnes of silt forced downstream through giant dam in China More than 390 million tonnes shifted this way over the last 13 years The silt-carrying water gushes out of three specialised holes in the dam By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 16:18 EST, 7 July 2013 | UPDATED: 12:48 EST, 8 July 2013 428 shares 59 View comments These photographs may look like scenes from an apocalyptic film. But in fact they are of an annual operation to move 30 million tonnes of silt downstream a year in the Henan province. Bystanders holding umbrellas are dwarfed as they watch the tremendous rush of water gushing through gaps in a dam. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2357967/Open-floodgates-Millions-tonnes-silt-forced-downstream-giant-dam-China.html#ixzz2YUV5sINZ Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook It is part of a carefully-choreographed operation to remove silt from the Yellow River in Luoyang. More than 390 million tonnes of silt has been shifted this way over the last 13 years. More... They've created a monster! World's largest private yacht takes to the sea after £400m three-year construction project to build 590ft behemoth Is this the most drastic anti-smoking device ever? Man in Turkey wears a CAGE on his head to stop himself having a cigarette The silt-carrying water gushes out of three specialised holes in the dam. The Yellow River authority says the operation lowers the river bed in the lower reach of the river by an average of 2.03 meters each year. The dam stands at 154m (505ft) tall and is 1,317m (4,321ft) wide. When it was built opened in 2000, following a six-year construction, it had cost US$3.5billion to construct. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2357967/Open-floodgates-Millions-tonnes-silt-forced-downstream-giant-dam-China.html#ixzz2YUUmqUpG Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook Photo captions Visitors watch water gushing from the section of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir on the Yellow River, during a sand-washing operation Residents turn out to watch the annual event - and try to avoid a drenching by protecting themselves with umbrellas A cloud of water: The floodwater churns through Yellow River as bystanders stand and stare ---------------- http://www.amusingplanet.com/2013/07/annual-sand-washing-operation-at.html These incredible pictures were taken at Xiaolangdi Reservoir on the Yellow River in Jiyuan, Central China’s Henan province early this month. What looks like a scene from a disaster movie is actually a meticulously-planned method of clearing silt that's built up in the dam. Silt builds up in massive amounts on the river bed which can slow the water flow and raise the level of the river, increasing the risk of flooding. So in an annual cleaning operation, the authorities open the floodgates allowing the slit to be washed downstream. Each year more than 30 million tonnes of silt are moved this way, with more than 390 million tonnes shifted over the last 13 years of operation. In fact, the large-scale silt-shifting operation has become something of a tourist attraction, drawing large crowds who, umbrellas aloft, watch the waves crash through purpose-built holes in the huge dam. The Yellow River authority says such operations lowers the river bed in the lower reach of the river by an average of 2.03 meters each year. The Xiaolangdi Dam is located about 20km to the northwest of Luoyang. It has a total installed capacity of 1,836 MW and generates up to 5.1 TWh annually with the help of six 306 MW turbines. The dam stands 154 m (505 ft) tall and 1,317 m (4,321 ft) wide, and cost US$3.5 billion to construct. ----------- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfwQpb5MVHA Video -------- http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2012-06/20/c_131666045.htm Great series of photographs. --------- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1292260/How-wash-river-First-way--China-blasts-silt-clogged-Yellow-River-clean-attempt.html You wouldn't want to be standing downstream when this came roaring at you. Spectators gaze in awe as thousands of cubic metres of water and sand are blasted downriver from a dam in China. The 'sand-washing' at the Xiao Lang Di Dam on the Yellow River in Jiyuan, Central China's Henan province, is part of an attempt to clear away silt building up in the river. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1292260/How-wash-river-First-way--China-blasts-silt-clogged-Yellow-River-clean-attempt.html#ixzz2m9YALZMA Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook Look out below: Water and sand is blasted from the Xiao Lang Di Dam on the Yellow River in Jiyuan, Central China's Henan Province, today Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1292260/How-wash-river-First-way--China-blasts-silt-clogged-Yellow-River-clean-attempt.html#ixzz2m9YFbvoV Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook The attempt to clear the river, China's second longest, began yesterday and is set to last for ten days. It is the largest project yet in an ongoing series of attempts to clear the silt building up in the lower part of the river. The blast is caused as the dam adjusts its runoff and the speed of currents, making them strong enough to wash away the silt deposits from the 800-kilometre section of the river, the Beijing Morning Post reported today. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1292260/How-wash-river-First-way--China-blasts-silt-clogged-Yellow-River-clean-attempt.html#ixzz2m9YJP8X1 Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook The problem has been an ongoing headache for Chinese officials. As the river gets nearer to the sea it spreads out in an estuary. The wider and shallower it gets, the slower it moves - dumping silt along the river bed on the way. As more and more silt builds up, the danger of flooding increases. The 5,464-km-long river runs through nine Chinese provinces and two autonomous regions, emptying into the Bohai Sea, in Shandong Province in east China. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1292260/How-wash-river-First-way--China-blasts-silt-clogged-Yellow-River-clean-attempt.html#ixzz2m9YN0lKq Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook -------- http://avaxnews.net/wow/Sand-Washing_Operation_Of_Yellow_River_Held_At_Xiaolangdi_Reservoir.html Wow ? Sand-Washing Operation Of Yellow River Held At Xiaolangdi Reservoir Water gushes out from the Xiaolangdi Reservoir on the Yellow River during a sand-washing operation on June 20, 2012 in Luoyang, China. The sand-washing operation, which started on June 19 and will last for about 20 days, is conducted to clear out the silt deposits at the dam. (Photo by China Foto Press) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiaolangdi_Dam