Reforming landscape
A relatively new project is already taking place in China concerning the creation of new land for urban development by cutting off mountain tops and filling in the surrounding valleys.
Concerns and questions have been raised around the scientific community not only about the potential risks that accompany such human interventions but also on the level of skills scientists in China possess in order to successfully bring out such enormous projects. Li et al. (2014) have raised such questions in the city of Yan’ an in Shaanxi Province. Suffice it to mention the remarkable record of landslides associated with hydroelectric power and mining activities.
Dr- dave in his blog highlights many reasons to think that such a programme might increase the risk of instability, including changes to groundwater flows and the cutting of slopes. However, in his view the greatest risks lie in the valley in-filling, which provides the potential for very rapid and highly destructive flowslides. In many other areas in which large amounts of fill has been emplaced, landslides have been common. Whilst techniques exist to mitigate these problems, they require great care and expertise.
