Emergency Intervention

Abstract

The explosions of March 2001, besides the demolition of the statues, reduced the stability of the shallower parts of the niches (Margottini 2003, 2004a). All the investigations described in previous chapters, together with many field surveys, allowed the identification of the most unstable sites. In the Eastern Giant Buddha niche, as well as the collapse of the statue, three minor rock falls occurred from the top of the niche. Blasting also degraded the strength of the rear of the highest right part of the niche, where a stairway is located inside the cliff and the wall between the stairs and the niche is quite thin (about 30–50 cm). This part presently has the most critical instability (A3 in Fig. 11.1). As a consequence of an existing buttress, the left side did not suffer as much damage, although in the upper part a rock fall occurred and some instabilities are now evident.