Apocalypse Dam: China's giant man-made waterfall as floodgates are opened to send millions of tons of silt downstream




It is an scene of almost apocalyptic proportions.

Bystanders are dwarfed as they stand watching a tremendous rush of water gushing through gaps in a dam in China, part of a carefully-choreographed operation to remove silt from the Yellow River in Luoyang, in the Henan province.

This annual operation sees more than 30 million tonnes of silt sent downstream a year, with more than 390 million tonnes shifted this way over the last 13 years.

A resident takes a picture as the fierce waters plunge through three open slits in the dam during the controlled operation

Floods in China: A paramilitary policeman watches water carrying silt gushing out of three specialised holes in the dam of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir on the Yellow River during the annual silt-washing operation

The lone soldier stands guard as sediment-laden flood water gushes through the Xiaolangdi Dam, unleashing tons of water

Umbrellas at the ready: Local residents turn out to watch the annual event - and try to avoid a drenching

The silt-carrying water gushes out of three specialised holes in the dam of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir on the Yellow River during the annual silt-washing operation.

The Yellow River authority says such operations lowers the river bed in the lower reach of the river by an average of 2.03 meters each year.

The dam stands at 154m (505ft) tall and is 1,317m (4,321ft) wide. When it was built opened in 2000, following a six-year construction, it had cost US$3.5billion to construct



A cloud of water: The floodwater churns through Yellow River as bystanders stand and stare

The Yellow River authority says such operation in the past 13 years have washed away 390 million tons of silt and lowered the river bed in the lower reach by an average of 2.03 meters.







