The land in a Chinese village is quite literally disappearing before
the residents' eyes with large sinkholes swallowing up vast spaces. In
the past five months villagers from Lianyuan in southern China's Hunan
Province have been left alarmed after seeing over 20 holes suddenly open
up in the ground. From last September the cave-ins, which range in
size, have seen houses collapse and rivers dry and left villagers
terrified about where the next will be.
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Guessing game: The constant developments have left villagers terrified about where the next will be. |
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Investigator: It is not clear what steps are being taken to prevent
further sinkholes from appearing but the local government has started an
investigation. |
Initial investigation showed reckless coal mining has damaged the
underground water system and caused cave-ins in farm fields and
riverbanks in recent months, the China News Service reported today. Over
4,000 villages have now been left with a water supply problem as land
subsidence has blocked some creeks, reported Sina. It also cracked the
walls of about 20 houses, forcing two families to evacuate.
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Cut off: Over 4,000 villages have now been left with a water supply problem as land subsidence has
blocked some creeks. |
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Alarmed: Villagers from Lianyuan in southern China's Hunan Province
have been left alarmed by continuous sinkholes that have seen over 20
holes suddenly open up in the ground over the past five months. |
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Holes: According to the Lianyuan government, preliminary
investigations found that the coalmines are the main reason for the
cave-ins. |
