At least 60 studies have been conducted to determine the cause of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan province, which killed more than 80,000 people. Some of the scientists have blamed the Zipingpu dam for triggering the temblor. These experts believe that the concentration of dam construction on the Tibetan plateau could result in a catastrophic “domino effect” if an earthquake causes a dam to fail.

Chinese culture has long recognized the risk of earthquakes. The Museum of Chinese History in Beijing displays an ancient urn-shaped seismograph, which would drop metal balls when its internal components were agitated. Its inventor, Zhang Heng (78-140 A.D.), is said to have used it to make the world’s earliest seismic predictions.

Among Chinese people today, the fear of earthquakes is spreading. Schools and other institutions in provinces with high seismic activity have installed more than 5,000 pieces of modern quake-measuring equipment. A non-government organization, Chengdu Institute of Care-Life, is coordinating distribution.

Tibetan Plateau at Risk

The Chinese government has built 20 hydropower dams, and has planned 40 more in this area. Some of Asia’s biggest rivers, including the Ganges and Yarlung Tsangpo—called Brahmaputra in India—originate in this region. Some experts fear that the rich hydropower potential of the region comes with high geological risks.

Probe International, a Canada based think-tank, said in a 2012 report that “98.6% of all of these dams, and 99.7% of western China’s electricity generating capacity will be located in zones with a moderate to very high level of seismic hazard.”

Several unexpectedly severe earthquakes were recorded in August 2013 in southeast Tibet, an area where seismic activity has been historically low. Before last year, only two major earthquakes had been recorded in the area since 1480. The two earthquakes in August, which measured from 4.2-5.7 in magnitude on the Richter scale, caused 87 casualties and damaged 45,000 houses.

“The scale of the earthquakes is particularly worrying given the proximity to four large hydropower dams planned for construction on the Lancang [Mekong] nearby,” the report continued. The Rumei [known as Rongmei in Tibetan] hydropower project, will be one of the highest dams in Tibet once complete and, at 315 meters, the second highest in the world, the report notes.