Chinese experts say the Zipingba dam, near the epicenter of a powerful earthquake that jolted the southwest Sichuan Province on Monday, is structurally stable and safe.

The conclusion was reached after a panel of experts, led by Jiao Yong, Vice Minister of Water Resources, rushed to the site and made a thorough inspection of the 156-meter-high facility.

The quake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, was the worst in more than three decades in China. As of 2:00 PM on Wednesday, 14,866 people were confirmed dead, including 14,463 in Sichuan.

The Emergency Response Office of the Sichuan Provincial Government said that the Zipingba water control project, a multi-functional facility that sits between Wenchuan and Dujiangyan, sustained a range of damage during the quake, including cracks at the top and collapsed workshops.

All power generating units were forced to stop operation at the water control project, whose dam was built on the Minjiang River, a tributary of the Yangtze River. The water control project began operations in 2006.

On the same day as the quake, Jiao led a working group and a panel to Sichuan to conduct an inspection and give guidance in relief operations.

An on-site quake control and relief efforts headquarters was set up, an official of the Ministry of Water Resources said.

In line with decisions made by the headquarters, spillways at Zipingba were opened to discharge water downstream at 700 cubic meters per second to ensure the safety of Dujiangyan city downstream.

Besides tightening inspections of Zipingba dam itself, as well as the Dujiangyan water control project and its irrigation works downstream, the headquarters has also decided to step up monitoring water inflows from the upper reaches of the Minjiang River, limit reservoir water levels and expedite repairs on the damaged hydropower generator workshops.

(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2008)