Baogang Tailings Dam, Baotou
Facts and practical information
Baogang Tailings Dam, also known as the Baotou Tailings Dam or Weikuang Dam, is a tailings dam in Inner Mongolia, China, on the outer ring of the city of Baotou, about 20 kilometres from the city centre. The dam is filled with tailings and waste slurry from nearby rare earth mineral refinery plants. Accounts of the tailings dam appeared in western media outlets after a visit in 2015 by British writers Tim Maughan, Liam Young and Kate Davies from Unknown Fields, a "nomadic design studio" from London. Footage posted on YouTube by Maughan appears to show him collecting samples from the floor of the dam. Maughan's account contrasts with the Chinese media's own reporting of the rare earth industry in the area. In 2016, Chinese authorities identified contamination of farmlands surrounding the dam. ()
Inner Mongolia