Chapter 175 Dam Crisis
The moment he saw the water storage value of the reservoir, Gu Ji finally couldn't help but curse.
The official rated water storage capacity of the Farakka Dam is 9.5 billion cubic meters, but the millimeter wave water level monitor in front of us shows that the actual capacity of the reservoir area has exceeded 10.3 billion cubic meters, which is close to 10%, which is a serious excess.
All 12 gates of the dam were opened, and the average flow rate was 1,243 cubic meters/second, while the precipitation increase monitored by the water and rain monitoring system was 1,365 cubic meters/second.
In other words, even if the heavy rainfall from tropical storms no longer increases, the dam will not be able to complete its self-discharge.
This is the real reason why Gu Ji made up his mind to blast the dam!
"Monitoring technician! Where are the dam structure monitoring, seepage flow monitoring and seepage pressure monitoring values!"
"I-I'm a technician."
Gu Ji shouted twice in the control room, and then a middle-aged man with dark skin wearing a blue uniform trotted over.
Perhaps he also knew that there was something wrong with the reservoir value, so he wiped the sweat from his forehead in a panic.
"The leader of the report said that the Farakka Dam was built too early and was only completed in 1971. Therefore, no pressure measuring pipes were installed during the construction. The only way to do this was to use hydraulic methods and make certain simplified assumptions on the seepage conditions. , perform simple calculation analysis.”
"That means you can't accurately deduce the dam infiltration line now?"
Facing Gu Ji's question, the technician just lowered his head and refused to answer.
The more Fatima listened, the more her heart sank.
As a flood disaster expert, she also knew a little bit about dam safety information, so she naturally understood why Gu Ji asked about the "soakage line".
The infiltration line is the intersection line between the free water surface and the cross section of the dam formed by the water seeping from the earth-rock dam to the downstream through the dam body. It is the basis for calculation of dam leakage and review of the dam slope's anti-sliding, anti-seismic and anti-seepage capabilities. The main basis is that every 1 meter increase in the infiltration line can increase the static risk factor of the dam by 0.05 or even more.
Under the premise that the current reservoir water storage capacity seriously exceeds the standard, the dam safety monitoring center does not know the specific value of the infiltration line at all, which means that they cannot grasp the current safety of the dam body at all.
This is extremely dangerous.
Because the dam may break at any time in the future, it may be an hour later, it may be a certain charging hole drilled by the construction team, or it may be, the next second!
Gu Ji immediately left the monitoring room and found Marluo who was blocking the villagers.
"Marlow, can your technical scout's drone still take off?"
"It's raining so heavily outside, it's difficult to take off, and the line of sight is severely obstructed. It's almost like flying blind!"
Marlow pointed to the vast ocean outside the glass and shook his head, "Now we can only find a way to use helicopters to replace drones for low-altitude observation!"
"Then I'll trouble your people. Make sure the pilots inspect the surface of the dam to see if there are any cracks or water seepage."
"You mean... Colonel!"
Marlow was not a fool. He immediately understood the meaning of Gu Ji's words and hurriedly pressed the intercom headset to contact Colonel Swaraj who was still outside.
Through the window, Gu Ji saw the two Mi-17/171 helicopters circling repeatedly at low altitude along the body of the Farakka Dam and shining their huge searchlights on it.
After observing for two consecutive times, a reply came from the intercom headset.
Marlow listened for a moment, his brows became more solemn.
"Vidi, the pilot of Hippo 4 sent news that the rain was too heavy and the visibility was not good. It was impossible to see whether there were any cracks on the dam body. However, they found that there were cracks on the east side of Farakka Dam where it was connected to the mountain. There are traces of small landslides that have occurred.”
"I'll go take a look right away! You move faster!"
"Vidi, I'll go with you!"
Seeing the critical situation, Fatima also rushed out of the dam command center with Gu Ji. The two of them spun along the fire stairs and ran to the top of the dam.
This is a narrow dirt road nearly 4 meters wide. Due to the tropical storm, all intersections leading to the mountain roads on both sides were ordered to be closed by the State Department of Transportation. As soon as Gu Jicheng stood on it, a strong wind blew in front of him, and he almost The child staggered after scratching him.
"Be careful of the strong wind!"
He reminded Fatima, who subconsciously looked back at the reservoir on the west side and couldn't help but shudder. The huge reservoir hidden in the darkness had been flooded to less than two meters below the dam body. The heavy rain It was as if the sky had collapsed. The overwhelming earth poured down from the sky, stirring the water surface into rough waves and making angry waves roar into the sky.
The two of them cautiously arrived at the east side of the dam. Driven by the strong wind, the flood peak rushed towards the connection between the cofferdam and the high concrete wall in waves. Gu Ji turned on a strong flashlight and scanned it towards the location Marlow just mentioned. , there are indeed traces of landslides at the internal connections of the dam body, and as the waves hit, mud-like yellow water is sprayed out.
Fatima looked straight at the cave-in, her face turned pale, and she didn't know whether the sweat on her temples was rain or cold sweat.
"Wei, Vidi, the connection point between the dam and the mountain has been damaged. This dam may collapse at any time!"
"I know."
The corners of Gu Ji's eyes twitched and his scalp was numb. Unexpectedly, things had reached the worst point. Now they were stepping on an untimed landmine, never knowing whether it would explode in the next second.
The most important thing is that this explosion will kill at least hundreds of people! !
All the hard work will be wasted!
"Backup plan, backup plan..."
He suppressed the chill in his heart, pursed his lips and murmured repeatedly, with many plans for dealing with heavy rain and flood disasters flashing through his mind.
Thanks to the continuous investment in the natural disaster system and Gu Ji's strengthening of reaction and crisis management thinking, in a few breaths, he had an idea in his mind, and with a stern look, "Fatima, give it to the state chief immediately. The secretary called and asked him to tell the riot police to evacuate all nearby villagers as soon as possible! Quick!"
"Ah good!"
Fatima hurriedly took out her cell phone from her pocket, and after Gu Ji said this, she turned around and returned the way she came.
He ran back to the control center without stopping.
"Marlow, the Farakka Dam body has been damaged and may collapse at any time. The explosion plan is cancelled. Let the helicopter take us to Calcutta immediately!!"
"What!?"
Marlowe's face suddenly fell down, and he tensed up like a layer of paste. However, long-term military training made him breath heavy. He decisively pressed the intercom button and ordered: "Soldiers in Groups A and B, listen to the order and terminate the operation." , transport the equipment and explosives back to the car immediately, quickly! Colonel..."
While he was reporting to Colonel Swaraj, Gu Jize ran down the mountain again.
The villagers who made trouble inside the dam were all confused and somewhat confused. However, there were also some people with sharp ears who heard the words "dam collapse", their faces were uncertain, and they were obviously a little panicked.
The villagers at the bottom of the mountain are the same as them.
Chief Secretary Ranat, who was wearing a purple turban, stopped Gu Ji and said anxiously:
"Mr. Vidi, it's too difficult to evacuate. These villagers are clamoring to get in and are determined to stop us from blowing up the dam. They won't get rid of us no matter what!"
"Did you tell them that we were going to stop blasting and that the dam was going to collapse?"
“I told them, but they just didn’t listen and said we were lying to them!!”
"Then let the government officials and policemen from the Midnapur area and the landowners come in and let them see with their own eyes the location of the damage to the dam, which is on the east side of the dam body. I believe they must not If that person has the guts to stay here, the main messenger will run away, and other villagers will definitely follow suit!"
There are not that many warriors in the world. Except for those dead warriors controlled by drugs in the underground building levels, Gu Ji has never seen anyone who is truly not afraid of death.
Therefore, he is well aware of the principle of "herding effect". Once the leader runs away, panic will quickly spread throughout the crowd.
Ranaut understood.
But just when he was about to do it, he was grabbed by Gu Ji, "Just leave this kind of matter to the anti-explosion force. Leave one force to be responsible for the evacuation, and the rest will be transferred to Calcutta immediately. Chief Secretary, please You, too, have to take a helicopter ride with us!”
"Once the dam breaks, it is very likely to cause continuous floods downstream. There are five counties in the general management area. The first four counties have a total population of only 30 million, while the city of Kolkata has a population of 1,600. There are tens of thousands of people and the population density is extremely high. We must move all the people in the town to safety before the flood breaks out!"
"Transfer, transfer fifteen million people?!"
Ranaut's eyes almost popped out when he heard this number, because this was simply impossible to accomplish.
By this time, Marlowe had driven the pickup truck down the mountain.
"Let's talk as we walk!" Gu Ji pulled him to the helicopter landing point.
Five minutes later, with the help of firefighters and riot police, all military explosives and equipment were moved to the transport cabin. After everyone boarded the plane, the pilot pushed the throttle lever again.
Two Mi-17/171 helicopters braved the rain and waves, slowly rising and flying towards Kolkata in the south.
Along the way, the helicopter was in a shaky state due to the strong winds and heavy rain brought by the tropical storm. Ranaut, who had never flown in a military helicopter, even vomited on the spot.
At this time, the pilot’s warning came from the cabin:
"Report! There is a thunderstorm ahead, the wind speed exceeds 19.2 meters/second, there may be turbulence, everyone must sit tight!"
Rumble——!
Unexpectedly, just after the reminder, the fuselage shook violently, and the cabin materials collided with the iron sheet, making a violent sound. Lanata turned pale with fright and closed her eyes tightly.
Not only him, but also the soldiers in the cabin, Gu Ji and others also looked grim.
After all, they are flying in heavy rain. According to the military flight manual of the Mi-17, the minimum visibility for night flight must not be less than 1,500 meters, and the daytime visibility must not be less than 800 meters. It can be estimated that the visibility outside the world is now also Only a few hundred meters away.
So they were flying on the tip of a knife and could crash at any time.
But in order to shorten the distance, Gu Ji had to take this risk.
The distance from East Midnapore County to Kolkata is at least more than 100 kilometers. If you drive, it will take at least an hour, but if you take a helicopter, it only takes 15 minutes.
In the current situation where the dam may break at any time, every minute and second is very precious to him.
"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz..."
As the fuselage shook violently, Fatima suddenly heard the siren coming from the cab. She nervously grabbed Gu Ji's sleeves, "Will we be okay?"
"Don't worry, it will be dawn soon."
Gu Ji raised his wrist and glanced. Although he was also very nervous, as one of the emergency commanders, he had to show a calm and calm state, otherwise even he would be afraid and the entire team would disperse immediately.
Fortunately, he had good luck this round.
In other words, the weather software on the mobile phone calculated the sunrise time very accurately. Gradually, through the windshield of the cockpit, everyone saw a piece of fish belly white floating in the eastern sky, and the earth gradually became brighter, although the sky was still gloomy. , it’s raining heavily, but at least it’s not as dark as before, as if it’s being swallowed by a demon.
Only then did Fatima notice the watch on Gu Ji's wrist.
It turns out that it is already 6:20 in the morning.
From getting up early yesterday to formulate the plan, to the Prime Minister's review, to meeting up with the special border troops to carry out the blasting mission, before they knew it, they had been working continuously for a day and a night!
During this period, the two people's nerves were always in a state of tension, so much so that they only noticed their fatigue now.
“Calcutta is ahead!”
The pilot picked up the walkie-talkie and started communicating with the airport control tower in Kolkata.
Kolkata is the capital city of West Bengal, India. It is located on the east bank of the Hooghly River. It is a very large city and is the third most densely populated urban area in India. It is also the main commercial, cultural and educational center in East India. It is also the oldest in India. one of the ports.
This is also the main reason why Gu Ji rushed here directly after learning that the dam broke.
Riverside cities have high population density.
Once a flood breaks out, it will be the area most affected!
Fortunately, compared with the previous towns in Assam, as the third largest city in India, the urban construction of Kolkata closely follows the Indian capital New Delhi and Mumbai. In addition to some exotic historical buildings, slums, and parks in the town, there are also There is a sense of wretched poverty and crumbling British Raj-era gems, vast gardens and historic colleges that are inexplicably intertwined with the many modern high-rise buildings.
While flying over the town, Gu Ji wrote down the locations of these buildings one by one. At the same time, he took out the satellite map on his mobile phone and marked them according to the distance to the river bank and the height of the terrain.
He also noticed that Kolkata has a very strong religious atmosphere. Hindu gods and altars can be seen everywhere in parks, roadsides, squares, and residential streets.
Many local Indian believers who get up early pray even in heavy rain.
It has to be said that before a disaster is imminent, this kind of behavior is reasonable in order to seek peace, but it is also full of irony, because placing the hope of self-rescue in God is a bit too illusory.
Da da da da…
Soon, the helicopter landed at Kolkata International Airport.
Because Kolkata was the first area affected by the tropical storm, even the higher-lying airport now has water half a finger high. The airport has long been closed due to heavy rain. At this moment, a large number of black limousines are waiting around it. Officials of the Bengal Government.