Jane Qiu*

Ever since the devastating magnitude-7.9 Wenchuan earthquake killed 80,000 people in 2008, Chinese hydrologists and geologists have wrangled over whether the reservoir behind the 156-meter-high Zipingpu Dam may be to blame. Today, as China embarks on a spurt of new hydropower development (see main text), the debate is getting increasingly heated. Newly published studies present the strongest evidence yet for the link.

* Jane Qiu is a writer in Beijing and London.