Residents of Turkish Thracian province eye suing Bulgaria over floods. Bulgaria sends urgent note to Turkey and Greece on river levels.

Residents in the northwestern Turkish province of Edirne are considering suing the Bulgarian government over floods triggered by dams in the neighboring country, Turkish Forestry and Waterworks Minister Veysel Eroğlu has said, expressing his support for such a move. ..

The Thracian city of Edirne, which borders Bulgaria, has been hit in recent days by floods from the Tundzha and Maritsa (Tunca and Meriç) rivers, as heavy rain that gripped the Balkans caused a sharp increase in the water levels of rivers in the area.

Eroğlu said the floods in the city, which prompted the evacuation of two villages on Feb. 2 after large sections of them were submerged, was caused by the sudden melting of snow melt in Bulgaria and dams constructed by the Bulgarian government “without considering flood margins.”

“They built some dams but unfortunately they don’t leave a marginal volume against floods,” he said on Feb. 4, answering reporters’ questions after the inaugural meeting of the EU River Basins Management Plans Project.

Eroğlu said Edirne residents had signaled that they were considering whether to sue Bulgaria, fed up with repeated overwhelming water flows that “put the city in lockdown.”

“When I was in Edirne, they [residents] said they will file lawsuit against Bulgaria about this issue if necessary. I also think it may be useful to do that,” he said.

Minister Eroğlu claimed that the Turkish authorities had warned their counterparts in Sofia “many times” about the issue, but now “our citizens have run out of patience.”

Joint project ‘at deadlock’

He also complained about Bulgaria’s “inaction” over the two country’s joint Tundzha Project, which was designed to take the flow speed and rate of the river under control in order to pave the way for its more efficient use in tourism activities.

“It was a joint friendship project. We completed everything … But when the time came for a bilateral agreement, the Bulgarian government didn’t do anything, although we sent the draft,” he said.

As the two countries have also failed to reach an agreement over the building of a joint dam on the Tundzha River, Ankara has drafted plan B to prevent floods in the region by constructing a dam on the Turkish side of the border, Eroğlu also said.

“We want to direct those waters to a dam on our soil by constructing a dam in Çömlekköy,” he stated, adding that the government planned to use excess water in irrigation during the summer months.

“Hopefully, we will be able to decrease floods from the Tundzha and Maritsa rivers,” Eroğlu added. 
   http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/residents-of-turkish-thracian-province-eye-suing-bulgaria-over-floods-minister.aspx?pageID=238&nID=77882&NewsCatID=351
  4/2/15
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• Bulgaria is sending Turkey and Greece an urgent note on the levels of three rivers as well as of dams along the Arda River, the Environment and Water Ministry said on February 4, after days of heavy rainfall...

Officials in Ankara and Athens will sent data on the levels of the rivers Maritsa, Tundzha and Arda. 

Torrential rain that began on February 1 has led to at least two deaths in southern and eastern Bulgaria, a number of missing persons, evacuations of about 600 people close to the swollen Kamchiya River, destruction of property and damage to road infrastructure estimated to exceed 12 million leva (about six million euro).
   http://sofiaglobe.com/2015/02/04/bulgaria-sends-urgent-note-to-turkey-and-greece-on-river-levels/
  4/2/15

Three Gorges sets hydropower record

China's Three Gorges Power Plant generated 98.8 billion kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity in 2014, beating the world record for hydropower generation, according to the China Three Gorges Corporation.

Though it has a much smaller installed capacity, Brazil's Itaipu hydroelectric plant has long been the champion of world hydropower generation. It generated 98.6 billion kwh of electricity in 2013.

The Three Gorges Power Plant has an installed capacity of 22.5 million kw. 
 Source:Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
4/1/15
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Related:

• Three Gorges Dam authority makes admission free for domestic tourists 

• Yangtze River sees highest flood peak of the year, Three Gorges Dam reservoir reaching 48,000 cubic meters per second on Sunday

• World ‘biggest hydroelectric dam’ for Congo

• Dam shame - Global Times

  •  China's Three Gorges dam "breaks world hydropower record" ...

 

Rare fish fries released into Yellow River to repair ecosystem

Photo: news.xinhuanet.com

Over 7 million rare fish fry have been released into the upper reaches of the Yellow River, China's second largest, since 2009 to help to repair its ecosystem, said local fishery authorities.

Qinghai Province in northwest China, where the Yellow River and Yangtze River originate, plans to release about 900,000 rare, captive-bred, native fish this year to replenish stocks, said Wang Guojie, deputy chief of the province's fishery environment supervision office.

The Ministry of Agriculture, in charge of fishery affairs, announced in 2007 that one third of the 150 fish species in the Yellow River were believed to be extinct due to human encroachment and low rainfall.

Over fishing, dumping and hydropower projects degraded the environment and led to a shrinking fish population. In Qinghai, 22 fish species are native and most of them are only found on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau.

"Fish grow much more slowly on the plateau than at low altitude, due to cold weather. Plateau fish, living at around 4,000 meters above the sea level, are extremely resistant to cold, but only add an average of half kilogram in weight every ten years," said Wang.

Once the stocks are damaged, it's hard to restore quickly, he said.

"Our survey shows a rise in fish stocks in some key areas over the past five years, meaning the released fry have adapted well," said the official.

Qinghai has plans to build more fish farms and expand the project's release area.

(To stay up to date with the latest China news, follow XHNews on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/XHNews and Xinhua News Agency on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/XinhuaNewsAgency.)
Sources: Xinhua  - globaltimes.cn
3/10/14
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Three Gorges Dam authority makes admission free for domestic tourists

Starting Thursday, Chinese tourists will be able to visit the Three Gorges Dam, the country's largest hydropower project, free of charge, announced the China Three Gorges Corporation and Yichang government in Hubei Province at a press conference Wednesday.

This scenic spot will be free to all Chinese tourists, including residents from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, while foreign visitors still need to pay 105 yuan ($17) for a ticket.

The maximum daily number of tourists will be restricted to 40,000. The dam currently receives an average of 1.8 million tourists every year, reported the Xinhua News Agency.

Chinese visitors can either make a reservation online or use their ID cards for admission on the spot.

"This decision's aim is to let more Chinese people learn about the project and witness the great achievements China has made since the reform and opening-up," said Sha Xianhua, a deputy general manager of the China Three Gorges Corporation. 

Ticket prices for the dam have been controversial in recent years as they increased from 30 yuan to 105 yuan.

The corporation officially responded in a document delivered to the media in the press conference, saying that "since the construction of the dam was at a critical point in previous years, we were unable to fulfill tourists' demand in consideration of their safety. "

"This move will bring an end to years of disputes and can also stimulate the local tourism industry," Liu Simin, a tourism expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

However, Liu said it would not set a precedent for other popular scenic spots, since ticket revenue from such sites typically goes into local governments' pockets, and local authorities are disinclined to give up revenue sources in an age of squeezed budgets.

The designated scenic area around the dam, a 5A-Class tourism destination, has been a backbone of the local tourism industry since 2007, according to the dam corporation's official website. 
By Cao Siqi Source: Global Times 
25-26/9/14
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• Yangtze River sees highest flood peak of the year, Three Gorges Dam reservoir reaching 48,000 cubic meters per second on Sunday

• World ‘biggest hydroelectric dam’ for Congo

• Dam shame - Global Times

China-built Danube bridge in Serbia to be up and running on time

The bridge spanning the Danube river, which is being built by a Chinese company in Belgrade, capital of Serbia, was to be completed in December as expected, Serbian deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said on Tuesday.

Mihajlovic said that the 1.5-km-long bridge will be open for traffic in December 2014, while in October 2015 the whole project including 21 km of access roads will be completed.

The bridge connects the Belgrade city municipalities of Zemun and Borca over the Danube is being built by the Chinese company, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).

Zhang Xiaoyuan, general director of the company's branch in Serbia, said that the works started in 2010 and "have advanced as planned so far, and the cooperation with Serbian government, city of Belgrade and the planners that worked on this project was excellent."

Li Manchang, Chinese ambassador to Serbia, expressed certainty that the bridge will be finished on time, adding that the "economic cooperation between Serbia and China will prove to be even more successful in the future." 
Sources: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
3/9/14
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• Chinese-built bridge in Serbia to open this year

Central Anatolian basin’s aquifers dry out. (the most arid winters and springs in recent years)

The Konya Basin’s aquifers have dried out, Forestry and Water Affairs Minister Veysel Eroğlu said in a written statement July 30, as the country has experienced one of the most arid winters and springs in recent years.

The basin, which is also used to irrigate the Central Anatolian Konya’s lowlands, the largest in the country, has formally entered a hydrological drought, said Eroğlu responding to parliamentary questions.


Eroğlu said they are planning to cope with the drought by reducing the irrigation at the plantations in the area and choosing plants that require relatively less water to grow. The Konya’s lowlands are one of the main areas that produce sugar beets, which require considerable amounts of water to grow.

“Turkey is not a country rich in water. Considering the quantity of water per capita, it is in fact a country that experiences water scarcity. The quantity of potable water per capita in Turkey is around 519 cubic meters,” Eroğlu said.

The hydrological drought in Konya could threaten the economy in the area, which is based on agriculture and farming. Despite the minister’s admission about water scarcity, the government’s environmental policy is severely criticized by ecologists, particularly for privileging energy investments over protecting nature.

• The recent construction of dozens of hydroelectric plants on small streams that are important for the country’s ecological balance has raised massive outcry as many experts warn that the practice could cause droughts in several rivers, resulting in land erosion in many parts of the country. 

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com
31/7/14
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Related:

• En 2040 no habrá agua suficiente para la población mundial (si seguimos haciendo lo que hacemos hoy)

• Turkish activists make the ‘big jump’ to free rivers from dams (Turkey faces losing 80 percent of its biodiversity)

Central and Southwest China: Concern for ancient buildings after floods

Concerns have been raised over the protection of historic towns as persistent downpours in Central and Southwest China have flooded Fenghuang, a renowned tourism destination in Hunan Province.

More than 120,000 people were relocated amid power cuts in Fenghuang on Wednesday.

The rain, however, has begun to slacken and water levels in Fenghuang have dropped, with many people returning to their homes on Thursday.

Electricity along the Tuojiang River, which runs through Fenghuang, has not been restored, although water supplies to parts of the town have been brought back online, a staff member of Fenghuang's flood prevention office surnamed Gao told the Global Times.

Reconstruction work formally started on Thursday, Gao said. No casualties had been reported as of press time.

Pictures of Fenghuang submerged by floodwaters have aroused worries among netizens and experts on ancient architecture.

Yang Zhi, owner of a traditional inn alongside the Tuojiang River, told the Global Times that everything in his inn had been washed away by floods and estimated his losses at more than 200,000 yuan ($32,234).

He blamed the government for inaccurate warning by saying that the water level of the Tuojiang River would only hit 1.5 meters above normal. The river eventually crested at 3 meters over its normal level, "So people were not prepared."

Many traditional buildings, some dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), were made of wood and stone and could be severely damaged by floods, Zhu Qiuli, an expert with the National Architecture Institute of China, told the Global Times.

Old towns have drainage problems and the Fenghuang  government obviously did not realize that the buildings need protection from water in such a rainy region, Zhu said.

It is also a warning for other old town governments, he added.

Wu Rucheng, director of the flood prevention office, admitted that excessive development along the river bank has changed the river's profile, making it more prone to serious flooding.

Fenghuang is currently being considered for UNESCO World Heritage Status.

Other parts of Hunan Province were also hit by severe rains. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, more than 8 million people across seven provinces including Hunan were affected by the rainstorms which started on July 10.

A total of 34 people died in the flooding, while 21 remain missing. Some 400,000 people were relocated and 9,300 houses collapsed, while 384,300 hectares of crops were damaged, incurring a direct economic loss of more than 5.2 billion yuan.

• Rainstorms are also expected in Hainan Province as Typhoon Rammasun makes landfall in South China on Friday. 

By Liu Sha Source:Global Times Published: 2014-7-18  
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Related:

• Ancient town under water as downpours hit central China

Ancient town under water as downpours hit central China

One of China's renowned ancient towns was under water Wednesday as heavy rain hit the centre of the country, with tens of thousands of people evacuated from the area.

The old town district of Fenghuang nestles on the banks of a winding river in a picturesque, mountainous part of Hunan province, and boasts stunning Qing and Ming dynasty architecture dating back hundreds of years.
It can attract 30,000 visitors a day and has applied for world heritage status recognition from UNESCO, but pictures showed it inundated, with the central span of a bridge poking up through the waters.

Reports said electricity had been cut off and 50,000 tourists and locals had been evacuated from Fenghuang and the surrounding county.

"Torrential downpours have led to Fenghuang old town becoming a water town," said a posting on a discussion page on the topic set up on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter.[Agence France-Presse/hurriyetdailynews.com]
16/7/14 

Turkish activists make the ‘big jump’ to free rivers from dams (Turkey faces losing 80 percent of its biodiversity)

Activists in Turkey have gathered along several rivers across the country to make a swan dive in the global “big jump” event calling for the protection of waterways to protest the scores of hydroelectric plant projects (HES) and dams that threaten dozens of environmentally protected or untouched areas.

One of the venues was the picturesque town of Hasankeyf at the border of the Tigris River, which will be flooded by the gargantuan Ilısu reservoir when completed.

The Nature Association, which sponsored the event in Turkey, stressed the Constitutional Court had halted legislation that exempted companies making huge energy investments from the validation of an Environmental Impact Assessment (ÇED) report earlier this month.

• It also said that Turkey faces losing 80 percent of its biodiversity if the HES projects are to be completed in the near future.

“While in a normal state of law it would be impossible to think not to what’s required by this ruling, in Turkey all the unlawful projects are ongoing,” said Engin Yılmaz, chairman of the association.

• “Rivers are the source of life. Each river is also the heart of all the life destroyed by dams and HES. We don’t only lose our biodiversity, like in Hasankeyf, we also lose the cultures that have lived in these lands and are our roots,” he said.

Other similar demonstrations have been held at the fiery Fırtına River in the Black Sea province of Rize, at the Süvari Çayı River in Ankara and nearby the Alakır River in the southern province of Antalya. 
[hurriyetdailynews.com]
14/7/14

Water quality excellent at most of Europe’s bathing sites

European Commission, Press release, Brussels, 27 May 2014:

The water at Europe’s beaches, rivers and lakes was generally of high quality in 2013, with more than 95 % of these sites meeting minimum requirements. Coastal performed slightly better than inland bathing waters, the data shows.

All the bathing sites in Cyprus and Luxembourg were deemed ‘excellent’. These countries were followed by Malta (99 % excellent), Croatia (95 %) and Greece (93 %). At the other end of the scale, European Union Member States with the highest proportion of sites with a ‘poor’ status were Estonia (6 %), the Netherlands (5 %), Belgium (4 %), France (3 %), Spain (3 %) and Ireland (3 %).

 

The annual bathing water quality report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) tracks the water quality at 22 000 bathing sites across the EU, Switzerland and, for the first time, Albania. Alongside the report, the EEA has published an interactive map showing how each bathing site performed in 2013.

Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said: "It's good that the quality of European bathing waters continues to be of a high standard. But we cannot afford to be complacent with such a precious resource as water. We must continue to ensure that our bathing and drinking water as well as our aquatic ecosystems are fully protected." 

Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director, said: “Europe’s bathing water has improved over the last two decades – we are no longer discharging such high quantities of sewage directly into water bodies. Today’s challenge comes from short-term pollution loads during heavy rain and flooding. This can overflow sewage systems and wash faecal bacteria from farmland into the rivers and seas.”

Local authorities monitor the samples at local beaches, collecting samples in the spring and throughout the bathing season. Bathing waters are can be rated ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘sufficient’ or ‘poor’. The ratings are based on levels of two types of bacteria which indicate pollution from sewage or livestock. These bacteria can cause illness (vomiting and diarrhoea) if swallowed.

Bathing water ratings do not consider litter, pollution and other aspects harming the natural environment. While most bathing sites are clean enough to protect human health, many of the ecosystems in Europe’s water bodies are in a worrying state. This is evident in Europe’s seas – a recent assessment found that Europe’s marine ecosystems are threatened by climate change, pollution, overfishing and acidification. Many of these pressures are set to increase.

Bathing water: key findings

• While more than 95 % of bathing sites met the minimum requirements, 83 % met the more stringent ‘excellent’ level. Just 2 % were poor.
• The proportion of sites passing the minimum requirements in 2013 was roughly the same as 2012. However, the proportion of ‘excellent’ sites increased from 79 % in 2012 to 83 % in 2013.
• At coastal beaches, water quality was slightly better, with 85 % of sites classified as excellent. All coastal beaches in Slovenia and Cyprus were classified as excellent.
• Inland, bathing water quality seems to have been slightly lower than the average. Luxembourg was the only country to receive ‘excellent’ for all its inland bathing sites, with Denmark close behind with 94 % excellent. Germany achieved excellent quality at 92 % of almost 2 000 inland bathing sites.
  [europa.eu]
  27/5/14
  
  

Lower Mekong Countries Urge Halt to Lao Dam Project

Officials from the Mekong countries of Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam are urging Laos to halt development of a dam project that could have a significant impact on downstream communities and ecosystems along the river.
Cambodian, Thai, and Vietnamese delegations visited the site of the planned dam on Wednesday. All three countries have expressed their concerns over the project.
Tek Vannara, head of Cambodia's NGO Forum, a consortium of organizations, told VOA Khmer he was still concerned after the visit to the Don Sahong dam site.
"If they block the fish migration passages by building this dam, some fish species will surely be lost," he said.
He added that the dam would affect at least 6 million Cambodians living either near the site or along the Mekong River or Tonle Sap lake.

Lao officials said they were conducting the project transparently and with the proper safeguards.
Sin Niny, permanent vice chair of Cambodia's National Mekong Committee, said Cambodia has maintained its position that Laos should stop the project and conduct more environmental assessments.
"We demand that Lao study in details as requested by other countries along the Mekong before starting the dam construction," said Sin Niny.
Meanwhile, more than 50 environmental and development organizations are preparing to submit a letter to the Mekong River Commission, an inter-regional body formed to tackle river issues, voicing their concerns over the impact of the dam.
This report was produced in collaboration with the VOA Khmer service.
http://www.voanews.com/content/lower-mekong-countries-urge-halt-to-lao-dam-project/1870575.html
13/3/14

Huge Wave Crashes In China's Haining city [2 COMPLETE VIDEOS YT]

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More than 30 people have been injured by a tidal bore in the Qiantang River in the eastern Zhejiang Province of China.
Given extra impetus by a typhoon, the huge and powerful tidal wave gathered momentum and crashed into the river bank in the city of Haining.



This particular tidal bore, which was an estimated 20 metres high, had gathered extra strength because of the typhoon conditions which recently hit the area.
Typhoon Trami is the 12th typhoon to hit China this year.

Experts say it and its associated rainstorms have affected 1.4 million people in southeast China's coastal provinces Zhejiang and Fujian.

Trami made landfall on Thursday morning and has since weakened to a tropical depression in neighboring Jiangxi Province.


More than 30 people were injured when the tidal bore, which set a record for the highest in a decade, hit the seafront. The injured were being treated in hospital and no deaths were reported.
23/8/13
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Κίνα: Σχέδιο «Αντιστροφής» των Ποταμών για Ύδρευση των Ξηρών Περιοχών του Βορρά

Photo: pruned.blogspot.gr

Με επιτυχία έχουν ολοκληρωθεί οι πρώτες δοκιμές για τον ανατολικό δίαυλο του νέου «συστήματος» ποταμών της Κίνας, που με εκτροπές και ανύψωση ρευμάτων στοχεύει να τροφοδοτεί με νερό από το Νότο τον ξηρό Βορρά. Το πρώτο τμήμα του ανατολικού διαύλου του εξαιρετικά φιλόδοξου σχεδίου αναμένεται να εγκαινιαστεί το φθινόπωρο.

Πρόκειται για μέρος του σχεδίου με το ταπεινό όνομα «Σχέδιο μεταφοράς νερού από το νότο στο βορρά», τα έργα για το οποίο είχαν ξεκινήσει πριν από δέκα περίπου χρόνια. Προβλέπεται η δημιουργία τριών διαύλων (ανατολικού, κεντρικού και δυτικού) υδάτων που θα εφοδιάζουν με καθαρό, πόσιμο, νερό τη βόρεια Κίνα.


«Η πρώτη δοκιμή πραγματοποιήθηκε πριν από έναν μήνα και στέφθηκε με απόλυτη επιτυχία» ανέφερε, όπως γράφει ο γαλλικός Monde, Ζιανγκ Γινσόνγκ, ένας από τους επικεφαλείς μηχανικούς για τον ανατολικό δίαυλο.

Το πρώτο τμήμα του ανατολικού διαύλου, το οποίο και θα εγκαινιαστεί το φθινόπωρο, αναμένεται να ολοκληρωθεί νωρίτερα επειδή αναβαθμίζει το ήδη υπάρχον Μεγάλο Κανάλι. Η λογική του σχεδίου είναι η εκτροπή υδάτων του Γιανκτσέ στο νότο με διοχέτευσή τους σε σταθμούς άντλησης υδάτων, και ανύψωσης της στάθμης προς διαύλους στο Βορρά.

Για την ολοκλήρωση του ανατολικού διαύλου πάντως, ο οποίος θα καταλήγει στο Τιάνγιν, δεν υπάρχει ακόμη χρονοδιάγραμμα. 

• Η πρόκληση δεν είναι μόνο η τεράστιας κλίμακας εκτροπή αλλά και η διασφάλιση ότι τα ύδατα θα είναι καθαρά, καθώς μέχρι στιγμής η υλοποίηση του σχεδίου έχει συνοδευτεί με μόλυνση υδάτων στην υπάρχουσα πορεία των ποταμών.

 http://www.energia.gr
24/7/13
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VIDEO: China, Sending Water North

The Chinese government has embarked on a massive engineering project to transfer water from the wet south to the dry north.

Yangtze River sees highest flood peak of the year, Three Gorges Dam reservoir reaching 48,000 cubic meters per second on Sunday

Video CCTV

The Yangtze River has seen its highest flood peak so far this year, with water flow into the Three Gorges Dam reservoir reaching 48,000 cubic meters per second on Sunday.

The Yangtze River Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters says water flow has increased rapidly since last Wednesday, due to continuous rainfall in the region.

 The Headquarters has ordered the reservoir’s water discharge to be raised to 35,000 cubic meters per second.

 Navigation restrictions have also been enforced in nearby waterways. 


The water flow into the reservoir is expected to drop to 42,000 cubic meters per second on Monday. But weather forecasts say heavy rain will hit the region upstream again in the next three days. Provinces including Sichuan, Guansu, Shaanxi, Hubei and Anhui will see rainstorms. 
22/7/13
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Photo taken on July 21, 2013 shows the Three Gorges Dam, a gigantic hydropower project on the Yangtze River, central China's Hubei Province. The Yangtze River, China's longest, braced for its largest flood peak so far this year due to continuous rainfall upstream. Water flow into the reservoir of the Three Gorges Dam reached 49,000 cubic meters per second on Sunday morning. (Xinhua/Lei Yong)

Photo taken on July 21, 2013 shows the Three Gorges Dam, a gigantic hydropower project on the Yangtze River, central China's Hubei Province. The Yangtze River, China's longest, braced for its largest flood peak so far this year due to continuous rainfall upstream. Water flow into the reservoir of the Three Gorges Dam reached 49,000 cubic meters per second on Sunday morning. (Xinhua/Lei Yong)

Photo taken on July 21, 2013 shows the Three Gorges Dam, a gigantic hydropower project on the Yangtze River, central China's Hubei Province. The Yangtze River, China's longest, braced for its largest flood peak so far this year due to continuous rainfall upstream. Water flow into the reservoir of the Three Gorges Dam reached 49,000 cubic meters per second on Sunday morning. (Xinhua/Lei Yong)

Photo taken on July 21, 2013 shows the Three Gorges Dam, a gigantic hydropower project on the Yangtze River, central China's Hubei Province. The Yangtze River, China's longest, braced for its largest flood peak so far this year due to continuous rainfall upstream. Water flow into the reservoir of the Three Gorges Dam reached 49,000 cubic meters per second on Sunday morning. (Xinhua/Lei Yong)

Marvelous Amazon River....The Pororoca Phenomenon (2VIDEO)

Watch Video CCTV

The Amazon river's volume of water runoff makes up 20 percent of the world’s total. Let’s take a look now at the source of this imposing rivers and its impressive natural beauty.
The Amazon River originates in the Andes Mountain in south Peru. It travels 6-thousand-nine-hundred-and-ninety-two-point-six kilometers before feeding into the Atlantic Ocean. It passes through Ecuador, Columbia and Venezuela on its way to the sea. The Amazon’s river basin covers an area of more than seven million square kilometers. Its water yield is one ninth of the world’s total fresh water.
About 6600 billion square kilometers of water runs into the Atlantic. It is called ’the king of rivers’. The longest stretch of the Amazon is to be found in Brazil, and the people there are very proud of it. A clear boundary is formed at the place where the Amazon river meets the Rio Negro River. This boundary is about seven kilometers long.

It’s romantically called the "marriage of the rivers". After this "marriage," the Amazon then flows into the Atlantic. At the beginning of 15th century, Europeans started to development stretches along the Amazon river. The Amazon got its name from Spanish explorers. The indigenous Indian female warriors were so courageous that the Europeans named them Amazon warriors, after the Amazons of ancient Greek mythology. And this is where the river derives its name. 

Amazon: World´s second longest river
The Amazon River in South America is the second longest river in the world. It is by far the largest by water flow with an average flow greater than the next seven largest rivers combined. Full story>>
.cntv.cn 
5/4/13
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Spectacular scenes expected from Amazon River tide....The Pororoca Phenomenon (VIDEO)

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Spectacular scenes expected from Amazon River tide....The Pororoca Phenomenon (VIDEO)

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The pororoca is a tidal bore up to 4 meters high that travels upstream the Amazon River. Its name comes from the indigenous Tupi language, where it translates into "great destructive noise". It occurs at the mouth of the river where river water meets the Atlantic Ocean. The phenomenon is best seen in February and March, where waves up to 4 meters rolling for up to 35 minutes have been observed.

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***The Amazon River in South America is the second longest river in the world. It is by far the largest by water flow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined.

 The Amazon, which has the largest drainage basin in the world, accounts for approximately one-fifth of the world’s total river flow.

The tidal bore in the Amazon River, together with that of the Qiantang River in China and the Ganges River in south Asia are the most well-known tides worldwide.

Starting today, we (cntv.cn) will bring you nine-days of special reports to unveil the mystery of the Amazon River tide.
 .cntv.cn
4/4/13

Lower Mississippi River shut down after huge oil spill

Two barges struck a Mississippi River bridge Sunday morning, causing an oil spill that kept part of the waterway shut down to ship traffic and held up at least 21 boats, barges and vessels.
One of the two tank barges was carrying more than 80,000 gallons (302,833 liters) of light crude oil, an unknown amount of which spilled into the Mississippi River after the vessel hit the Vicksburg Railroad river bridge. Cleanup crews have not yet determined the extent of the oil spill, but a pollution response team is currently assessing the size of the spill and monitoring tank levels for further leakage, the US Coast Guard relayed in a press release. Each of the two ships contains eight tanks of oil.

A section of the lower Mississippi River has been closed to all traffic, backing up at least 21 tugboats, barges and other vessels going both northbound and southbound, Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Ryan Gomez told the Associated Press.
The spill occurred at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, and oil was reported as far as three miles downriver later that day. Cleanup clews, including the US Environmental Services, are frantically trying to prevent the oil from spreading and have laid out containment booms – temporary floating barriers used to contain an oil spill.
“They have the boom to contain any cruise oil that’s leaking out of the barge. They have a secondary boom to corral any crude oil that gets past the first boom,” Gomez told AP.
“They are continuing to try to remove the product from the damaged tank to one of the non-damaged tanks on the same barge. The ultimate goal is to transfer all of the crude to a different barge,” he added.
Gomez said investigators are still trying to determine how the accident happened. Third Coast Towing LLC, the company that owns the two barges, has not made any public statements about the collision and has not responded to reporters' requests for comment. At the time of the accident, both vessels were being pulled by the tugboat Nature’s Way Endeavor.
The Mississippi River has suffered numerous oil spills in the past few years, which carry the risk of further devastating the Gulf Coast. In February 2012, part of the river was shut down for one day after an oil barge collided with a construction barge and spilled about 10,000 gallons of oil. In 2008, a fuel barge collided with a tanker, breaking in half and spilling 283,000 gallons of heavy crude into the waterways and keeping a large part of the river shut down for nearly a week.
Large oil spills can leak into the Gulf of Mexico, but Gomez believes the newly spilled oil will not travel the 344 river miles to the gulf. If more oil had been released, then it could have affected residents and businesses in the Gulf Coast states who are still recovering from the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which released 200 million gallons of oil into the water and killed 11 people.
Still, Environmental Protection Agency spokesman Jason McDonald said it’s too early to predict the environmental impact.
“Rivers have a different dynamic than oceans and gulfs,” he told the Clarion-Ledger. “It’s too early to tell.”
The Coast Guard does not know how long the afflicted portion of the Mississippi River will remain closed.
.rt.com
28/01/13