Chinese authorities say nearly 400 dams were damaged by Monday's massive earthquake, according to media reports, as efforts to relieve the pressure at a dam near one quake-hit city continue.
Two thousand troops have already been sent to the Zipingpu dam, near Dujiangyan City, after a probe revealed that the dam is stable and safe, state news agency Xinhua reported. State-run media earlier said that the dam on Zipingpu Reservoir had "severe cracks."
The waters at Zipingpu are now being lowered to decrease pressure on the structure, according to business news magazine Caijing, The Associated Press reported.
The agency also reported the economic planning agency as stating that almost 400 mostly small dams had been affected by the 7.9-magnitude quake, while the Ministry of Water Resources has ordered a check on reservoir facilities throughout the nation. Watch report about International Rivers, a U.S.-based group which says it opposes "destructive dams and the development model they advance," alleges on its Web site that experts at China's Earthquake Bureau warned eight years ago that Zipingpu dam was at risk due to its closeness to significant geographic faultline. The Chinese authorities have not responded to the comments.
News of the reservoir damage came as it emerged that more than 4.3 million homes have now collapsed or sustained damage from the disaster, according to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, with the official death toll from the quake reaching 14,866 by Wednesday evening. But casualty figures from various cities indicate a higher number of dead. 
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All About China • U.S. National Earthquake Information Center • Disaster Relief
