Draining the Successive Baige Barrier Lakes, China: Insight into the Emergency Response
Abstract
In order to study the technology of emergency disposal and provide insights into the landslide dam breach and rescue processes, a hyperbolic erosion dam breach model was used to predict the peak discharges of 10.11 and 11.03 Baige barrier lakes in the upper reach of the Jinsha River in northwest of China on October and November 2018. The results showed peak discharge values of 10,000 and in the 10.11 and 11.03 Baige barrier lakes, respectively. Therefore, it is proposed to conduct a series of emergency disposals of the 11.03 barrier lake, including manual excavation of a drainage channel, demolition of the cofferdam at the Suwalong Hydropower Station under construction, and discharge of the Liyuan Hydropower Station Reservoir in operation. For the 11.03 barrier lake, the obtained results showed that: (1) the excavation of a 13.5 m deep drainage channel reduced the peak discharge by 24%, which is consistent with the predicted peak discharge of . (2) The demolition of the cofferdam of the Suwalong Station under construction avoids superimposing and magnification of the flood peak. Indeed, in the absence of this measure, the peak discharge might be 1.6 times its original size. The demolition of the cofferdam reduced the impact of peak discharge on downstream areas. (3) The Liyuan Reservoir effectively decreased the peak discharge by 37%, thereby reducing the flood control pressure of the downstream cascade stations and minimizing the flood disaster-related losses through the joint dispatch of the cascade reservoirs. (4) The joint emergency response mechanisms, such as joint interministerial consultation, central-local government coordination, emergency response social mobilization, and joint dispatch of cascade reservoirs, were important and effective in the Baige landslide dams disposal. The present paper provides a systematic back analysis and further insights into the rescue process, key technologies, and emergency measures for the successive barrier lakes. It also provides a reference for emergency rescue of similar landslide dams and risk control of cascade hydropower stations in river basins.
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Data Availability Statement
All data in this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors appreciate the guidance and assistance provided by the Emergency Disposal Headquarters of the Baige Barrier Lake. The research work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Grant No. 52309154, Science and Technology Major Project of Xizang Autonomous Region of China Grant No. XZ202201ZD0003G and the National Basic Research Program of China Grant No. 2021YFC3090105.
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Natural Hazards Review
Volume 25 • Issue 3 • August 2024
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© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Oct 16, 2023
Accepted: Jan 16, 2024
Published online: Apr 22, 2024
Published in print: Aug 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Sep 22, 2024
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