Lhasa Underpass Floods

DHARAMSALA—A pedestrian tunnel being built in Tibet’s capital Lhasa has flooded, raising concerns for the stability of the nearby Potala Palace, traditional home of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to Tibetan sources.

Construction of the underpass, which began in December 2009, caused “a lot of water to appear at the excavation site,” a Lhasa resident said on March 8, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“Land caved in and roads sank,” the source said.

“The water level in the area fell, and many plants dried up in the area. Even huge trees in Lukhang Public Park, not very far from the work site, dried and fell down.”

“Of course,” he added, “the most serious concern of the local Tibetans is the impact of the construction on the Potala Palace.”

The construction project, targeted for completion by April 30, is managed by Tian Lu Tibet Corporation, under contract to the Lhasa City Development Authority.

Reached for comment, Dai Kaiwen, head of Tian Lu Tibet Corporation, said, “Without  permission from the appropriate department, I cannot answer your questions.”

But China’s official Xinhua news service reported that when digging reached a depth of ten meters, pumps had to be brought in to clear water that had erupted at the site.

Work is now continuing on the project, a source said.

Robbie Barnett, a Tibet expert at Columbia University, said that China, in developing Tibet’s historic capital, has shown little “interest in the architecture and heritage that this city represents for the world.”

 “Some of Lhasa is left, but it’s somewhat in the shadow of this very large and somewhat ugly city that has been built around it in the last twenty years.”

“This has changed the shape and character of the city very radically,” Barnett said.

Original reporting by Dolkar for RFA’s Tibetan service. Tibetan service director: Jigme Ngapo. Translations by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney. Edited by Sarah Jackson-Han.