China's Tofu Dregs Projects: Never-ending Collapses/Heavy rain reveal them for what they are

#Chinainsights#Chinaflood#Chinanews
In China, the prevalence of tofu-dreg construction makes it impossible to predict where one might encounter problems; however, the onset of the rainy season is helping reveal these tofu-dreg projects.
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[stuartdryer]

Houston is rennovating drainage systems on roads all over town. It takes a long time and people grumble about the disruption but if you look closely there is a great deal that goes into it. It's not a shiny new stadium or a skyscraper. When it's done nobody will see it but we will notice it when torrential Gulf Coast rains come, as they do frequently.

[freedomforever]

It's comforting to see that the lack of quality control applies to the Chinese homeland the same as the products they export to the rest of the world.

[TrangleC]

I heard the only bigger city in China that has a good sewage and drainage system is Qingdao and their system was built by the Germans 100 years ago.

[zeanamush]

I live in Chicago. Who says a sewer system can't be a prestige mega project.

[akiyajapan]

The entire 7 years I lived in China, I was constantly looking up, down, and around because I felt like something was going to fall, open up, or speed towards me. It was nerve-wracking.

[gerardbryant]

The older I get, the more often these "once in a millenium" events seem to occur!
Sewers and flood mitigation schemes may not be glamorous or high profile, but they are a necessity when your city is built on a flood plain.

[ianharley]

London has invested billions into its new sewer system. The victorians built a wonderful system to start with. Of course they never envisaged a 9 million population! But it lasted well over 130 years. Underground some of their brick built caverns are amazing cathedrals!

[Ipsissimus]

Why spend billions on a proper sewage system when we can spend trillions on flood damage? 🙄

[Kyntteri]

In China buildings get filled by water when it rains but if a fire breaks out, the hydrants remain dry. So that's what peak performance looks like when they're 3000 years ahead of west.

[nelsonta]

Being a builder myself, I have seen my share of Tofu dregs in SoCal, but these are usually small DIY houses or complexes. China's apartment complexes are massive so a lot of ppl are affected

[Stephen-crsc]

The supports for the bridge were constructed in flowing water and eventually were undermined by flowing water and failed -- Now there's a huge surprise!

[mikeharrington]

The concrete/rebar quality & composition of the structure is inadequate because local officials have sucked out construction funding, meaning the construction is sub-standard & unsafe

[Zebadee]

I could never figure out why drainage isn't part of any architectural design project in China. It should be one of the first things planners commit to on any construction project. There seems to be a common assumption in place that, when it rains, the water will just ... go somewhere else ...

[nickallain]

What is the rationale behind blaming the US?

[Aurkus]

If you don’t look up you get squashed, if you look up you get ran over. It’s almost like living in a Final Destination movie. I’d call the Chinese people brave but, it seems more like apathy or indifference.

[VR-gshd]

You'd think exposed power outlets alone would keep people out of the water.

[thindo]

That this kind of buildings are allowed speaks volumes about the CCPs competence

[swirlingbrain]

Rain reveals Tofu Dreg. Tofu Dreg reveals corruption. Corruption reveals CCP.

[socket_error]

People in the USA complain about the cost of permits and inspections, how many government regulations and specifications there are concerning building materials and methods - This is why we have all of those. Sure if can be a hassle to navigate but it makes sure that builders, material providers, and developers don't take shortcuts and use substandard materials. It is why we so rarely see things like this happen in the USA and when it does it results in a serious investigation and the cause is addressed either with criminal charges, civil liability, and changes to codes and methods if needed. Testing of concrete and steel actually used on jobs is commonplace to ensure the integrity of the material meets the minimums required. No system is perfect but the amount of construction failures occurring in China in new construction is far beyond anything a nation with the second largest economy should be experiencing. Clearly the same adherence to these standards are not being held to in China. For a nation so willing to haul people off to reeducation camps for the slightest infraction it would seem simple for the CCP to "educate" these corrupt bureaucrats, developers, contractors, and material providers on the proper way to construct a building so the CCP could avoid the shame of their crumbling empire.

[stephenbruce]

Good engineering always takes in account the environment and always incorporates margins of safety. Honestly if it looks good in China its good enough and that's very sad. No worries, no problems and then you see everything falling apart. The more I see these situations the less and less my desire to travel to China for vacation. Not sure there is any safe place in China these days. Very sad.