China has built over 98,000 dams, but in just five years, it lost nearly 4,000—along with 80% of its flood-control capacity. Why? These dams prioritize hydropower, fish farming, and tourism over flood prevention. Take Beijing’s Miyun Reservoir: overfilled from the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, it hit record levels before a storm, forcing a massive discharge that caused devastating floods. Built during the Great Leap Forward with poor quality, Miyun now poses a huge risk. Is this a failure of engineering or CCP priorities?
