The Calculus Behind a Broken Dam

A flood swept through parts of Guangdong Province on September 21, wiping out an entire town. Typhoon Fanapi was one reason for the destruction. But the Xinyi Municipal Government in Guangdong believes the blame for 22 deaths and millions of dollars in property damage came from a dam built above a village, owned by two subsidiaries of Zijin Mining Group.

The Xinyi government says that a breach of a tin mine tailings dam operated by Xinyi Baoyuan Mining and Xinyi Zijin Mining resulted in deaths and property damage. On October 9, the government submitted a civil lawsuit to the Xinyi Municipal Court, claiming 19.5 million yuan in damages from the two companies. The case is rare for the simple fact that environmental lawsuit plaintiffs are seldom local governments.