Liulan Reservoir breach in Guangxi kills 26, highlights aging dam risks

On July 6‑9, 2024, Typhoon Maysak brought extreme rainfall to Guangxi province, causing the Liulan Reservoir (built in 1958, capacity 93.19 million m³) to overtop and develop a 50‑meter breach. The failure claimed 26 lives, left seven people missing and forced the evacuation of over 3,000 residents downstream of the reservoir that serves about 170,000 people.

Although the reservoir had undergone a recent “standardised upgrade” that added a smart‑monitoring centre and repaired 500 m² of the dam slope, the core earth‑fill dam was not comprehensively strengthened. Experts say the overtopping (“漫顶”) overwhelmed the structure, and limited automated early‑warning capabilities meant that data were recorded but not used to issue timely alerts. The incident has sparked criticism over outdated design standards, insufficient flood‑release capacity and the influence of economic activities such as fish farming on dam management.

In response, China’s central and state councils issued a notice to strengthen flood‑control inspections, improve monitoring‑analysis‑warning‑dispatch loops, and develop a unified cloud platform for water‑resource management.