Three Gorges Project and Earthquake Warning system in China

[Nagarjuna]

Dear All,
Close on the heels of the Nargis cyclone in the Irrawady delta of
Myanmar, yet another catastrophic disaster in the form of an
earthquake has occurred in South West china.
In 2006 Chinese government announced the setting up of an Early
Warning system for Earthquakes in known seismic zones of China in a
bid to deflect criticism of the massive Three Gorges Dam project.
This official Chinese government article makes for some poignant
reading coming on the heels of the failure of this hyped early warning
system touted as the Holy Grail of Natural Disaster Predictions.
http://english.gov.cn/2006-08/22/content_367781.htm

In India, the South Asian Network on Dams Rivers People has been
highlighting the development frenzy of Indian politicians and
bureaucrats bent upon aping the Chinese mega development models, GDP
multiplication statistics and destruction of natural environment.
Hopefully one Indian fallout of the Chinese tragedy will be a re
examination of mega projects being pursued by Indian government and
corporate interests in the upper regions of Indian Himalayas which is
a sure recipe and a ticking timebomb for similar disasters in the
Indian freshwater catchment areas of Upper Himalayas, where there is a
frenzy of road building activities going on.

The Western world which had been clamouring to be allowed into Burma
to show off its disaster management prowess is now suddenly taken
aback by the Chinese government's openness to all available offers of
international help.
Regards,
Nagarjuna