Latest news with #Olympic-sized
India Today
an hour ago
- Business
- India Today
China's Brahmaputra dam flurry is India's worry
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated April 7, 2025)Originating from the icy grip of the Angsi Glacier, near the northern slopes of the Himalayas, close to Lake Manasarovar in western Tibet, the Yarlung Tsangpo—known as Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and the Brahmaputra in Assam—embarks on a long and winding 2,900 km journey. It flows eastward across the Tibetan Plateau, a seemingly calm giant, until it reaches the easternmost edge of the Himalayas. And then, it encounters an obstacle—a towering 7,782-metre peak called the Namcha Barwa. But the river does not stop. In one of nature's most breathtaking feats, it takes a dramatic U-turn around the mountain—the Great Bend, one of the sharpest and most spectacular river bends on follows is pure fury. The river plunges into the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, a monstrous 500km-long chasm with depths exceeding 5,000 metres—nearly five times the height of Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure in the world. It is one of the deepest and most treacherous canyons on the planet, where the river transforms into a roaring beast, its waters churning with an unstoppable force. This is where China wants to step in. The steep gradient at the Great Bend holds unparalleled hydroelectric potential that Beijing is determined to exploit. The plan? A colossal hydropower project embedded deep into the unforgiving terrain of Medog County, Tibet—one of the last unexplored and most geologically unstable regions on Earth. It is a project of staggering proportions, a testament to human ambition and engineering an estimated cost of $137 billion (Rs 11.9 lakh crore), this is poised to become the most powerful hydropower facility ever attempted, generating a jaw-dropping 60 GW of electricity annually—three times the output of China's own Three Gorges Dam, the current world record-holder, and surpassing the UK's entire annual energy consumption. Expected to be completed by 2033, the scale of the project is mind-boggling. To divert nearly half of the river's flow, Chinese engineers plan to drill tunnels up to 12.5 miles long through the Namcha Barwa mountain, rerouting 2,000 cubic metres of water per second—enough to fill three Olympic-sized swimming pools every second. INDIA'S GREAT WORRYWhile China presents the project as a step toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, for India and Bangladesh, it signals a looming disaster. The dam's location, barely 30 km from Arunachal Pradesh, places it alarmingly close to India's border, raising security concerns in New Delhi. Worst-case scenarios throw up a nightmarish picture: if the dam were to fail—due to engineering flaws, an earthquake or even sabotage—the consequences would be catastrophic. A towering surge of water could rip through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, wiping out entire towns within minutes. 'This Chinese project isn't just a tease,' says Michael Kugelman, director of the Washington-based South Asia Institute. 'China has the capacity to mobilise capital quickly and build out large-scale infrastructure projects without delays, thanks to its centralised economy and undemocratic politics. This means New Delhi needs to start thinking now about how to mitigate the possible deleterious implications—especially for water security, the environment and geopolitics.'advertisementThe Brahmaputra is a vital artery that sustains millions across four countries—China (50.5 per cent), India (33.6), Bangladesh (8.1) and Bhutan (7.8). More than just a waterway, it sustains agriculture, drinking water and energy needs, making any disruption to its flow a serious concern. For India, the primary worry is China's ability to control the Brahmaputra's flow. If Beijing releases excess water during monsoons, devastating floods could ravage India's northeastern states, particularly Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, where nearly 40 per cent of the land is already flood-prone. The fallout—mass displacement, infrastructure collapse and economic devastation—would be restricting water flow during dry months could cripple agriculture, hydropower generation and drinking water supplies. Given that the Brahmaputra accounts for nearly 30 per cent of India's freshwater resources, any interference poses a strategic threat. 'The proposed hydropower project has the potential to alter the flow dynamics of the Yarlung Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, affecting water availability, by influencing both groundwater and surface water levels,' warns Genevieve Donnellon-May, a researcher at the Oxford Global For Assam, the implications for agriculture are particularly alarming. The river's nutrient-rich sediments sustain rice, tea and jute cultivation. Any disruption—excessive flooding or drought—could slash crop yields, threaten food security and financially cripple thousands of farmers. If upstream damming reduces sediment flow, it could accelerate riverbank erosion, degrade soil fertility and leave lasting ecological concerns over China's hydropower ambitions are well founded. In 2000, severe flooding in Arunachal Pradesh's Pasighat was linked to a dam collapse on Tibet's Yigong River. In 2012, the Siang River mysteriously ran dry, prompting then chief minister advisor Tako Dabi to blame China's dams. In 2016, China blocked the Xiabuqu River near India's border for the Lalho hydropower project, further raising suspicions. A year later, the Siang's waters turned black, igniting accusations against China. While Beijing dismissed the claims, satellite images later revealed that earthquakes on the Tibetan Plateau had triggered landslides, sending sediment downstream. 'Storing water in a region with extensive mineral extraction—Tibet is home to over 100 exploited minerals—leads to contamination as mining runoff mixes with the water, forming black soot. Arunachal Pradesh has already seen instances of blackened water,' says Srikanth Kondapalli, professor of Chinese Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Adding to the uncertainty, open-source data from the Tibetan Autonomous Region suggests irregular river flow patterns in 2024, deviating from the trends of the past 25 raises even deeper concerns is China's broader ambition—to divert the Yarlung Tsangpo to its arid Xinjiang province. Gopal Dhawan, founder and chairman of the Dr Dhawan Academy of Geologists, and former CMD, Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Ltd and NHPC, warns that if China stores and redirects water through an inter-basin transfer scheme, 'any projects we develop will face water shortages and be adversely affected.' Though several experts rule out any such possibility, doubts persist. 'The Medog dam appears to be a hydroelectric project rather than a water storage and diversion initiative. But given China's track record of undertaking large-scale infrastructure projects, such a possibility cannot be ruled out,' says A.K. Bajaj, former chairman of the Central Water Commission. Amid these uncertainties, New Delhi has made its apprehensions clear to Beijing. 'We have consistently raised concerns over China's mega river projects,' says foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, asserting India's lower riparian rights. He states that India will continue pressing China to safeguard downstream interests and 'take necessary measures to protect our interests'. CHINA'S WATER HEGEMONYThe Tibetan Plateau feeds 10 major river systems sustaining over a dozen Asian nations. Among them, two stand out for their geopolitical weight: the Mekong, which courses through Southeast Asia, and the Brahmaputra. China's aggressive dam-building along these rivers has triggered alarm over its push for hydro-hegemony, particularly given its refusal to sign water-sharing treaties. China's treatment of the Mekong offers a stark warning for India and Bangladesh. Over two decades, Beijing has constructed 12 massive dams along the river's upper reaches, disrupting natural flows and worsening environmental stress downstream. In 2019, despite above-average rainfall, China's upstream dams hoarded record amounts of water, triggering droughts in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. In 2021, it slashed the Mekong's flow by 50 per cent for three weeks—citing power-line maintenance—without prior notice, leaving millions struggling for irrigation, fisheries and drinking water. These unilateral actions stoke fears that Beijing could deploy similar tactics on the Medog dam isn't an isolated project but part of a grand strategy. Sayanangshu Modak, a doctoral researcher at the University of Arizona's School of Geography, Development and Environment, says the Yarlung Tsangpo stretch was marked for hydropower as early as 2003. Since the 2010s, China has steadily expanded its hydropower footprint on the Brahmaputra's upper reaches. The Zangmu dam, completed in 2015, set the stage for further projects at Dagu, Jiacha and Jiexu. Satellite imagery now reveals nearly 20 dams—large and small—along the river, signalling Beijing's long-term water ambitions. 'The new move appears to be the latest step by Beijing to maintain an upper hand in the region's water geography,' says is also wary of the timing of the Medog dam approval, which came just as New Delhi and Beijing resumed talks after a prolonged diplomatic freeze post-Doklam (2017) and Galwan (2020). Many analysts see it as a calculated move to pressure India in border negotiations. By intertwining territorial disputes with transboundary rivers, Beijing is likely angling for strategic concessions. A HIMALAYAN BLUNDER?As debate rages over the potential impact of the Medog Dam on India and Bangladesh, one fact is undisputed: its construction poses irreversible ecological risks to the fragile Himalayan region. Dams can trigger tremors, a phenomenon known as reservoir-induced seismicity—when the immense weight of impounded water destabilises fault lines of the Earth. 'The sheer weight of a vast reservoir could induce small earthquakes by exerting pressure on the Earth's crust. In an already hyper-seismic zone, the consequences of such stress remain dangerously unpredictable,' warn Robert Wasson, adjunct professor, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Australia, and emeritus professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society Australian National University, and Shukla Acharjee, assistant professor, Centre for Studies in Geography, Dibrugarh seismic threats, the dam's sheer scale demands mass deforestation, stripping the region of its green cover and natural stabilisers. Without tree roots anchoring the soil, heavy monsoon rains could trigger deadly mudslides, raising the risk of dam Himalayas, already crumbling under climate stress, have seen a surge in Glacial Lake Outburst Floods, avalanches and landslides. 'On March 22, 2021, a massive glacier collapsed in the Sedongpu River basin, on the left bank of the Grand Canyon of the Yarlung Tsangpo and blocked the river and caused water levels to rise by 10 metres,' says Modak. Wasson and Acharjee note that the Tsangpo Gorge is one of the most geologically dynamic—and possibly the most active—regions on Earth. 'It experiences extreme floods, with peak flows reaching up to a million cubic metres per second. A single such flood can erode as much of the gorge as 4,000 years' worth of annual flow,' they region's volatile geo-morphology also makes dam stability a growing concern. Earthquakes, heavy siltation and landslides will shorten the dams' lifespan. After the January 7 earthquake, inspections of 14 hydropower dams in Tibet found structural cracks in five, forcing three to be emptied. 'This region is the most sediment-rich and sediment-producing area on Earth. As a result, dams here degrade faster, increasing the risk for downstream populations,' says Ruth Gamble, deputy director (research), La Trobe Asia, La Trobe University, Australia, who specialises in the environmental, cultural and climate history of Tibet, the Himalayas and its part, China insists the Medog project is a clean energy game-changer, not a geopolitical weapon. Wang Lei, charg d'affaires at the Chinese Embassy in India, dismisses concerns about adverse impacts on India and Bangladesh, framing the project as a climate-friendly solution that will power 300 million people while curbing fossil fuel use. Backing this stance, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun says the project underwent rigorous scientific evaluation and poses no risk to downstream ecosystems, geological stability or water rights. Instead, Beijing argues it will help mitigate floods and aid climate adaptation in India and Bangladesh. However, China's assurances on the Medog Dam ring hollow, given its track record of secrecy, unilateralism and broken commitments on transboundary rivers. Independent researcher Gabriel Lafitte has highlighted that past Chinese project announcements have been long on statistics but short on execution details. WAITING TO BE DAMMED: The Siang River near Along in Arunachal Pradesh. (Photo: Alamy) INDIA'S COUNTERA decade ago, India embarked on a defensive hydropower strategy to counter China's upstream dam-building spree on the Brahmaputra. Rooted in the international legal principle of 'prior appropriation'—which grants water rights to the first user—India's plan aims to pre-emptively secure control over the river's flow. 'India can still challenge Beijing by constructing its own dams near the border, keeping China on edge. This would give New Delhi some leverage in potential water negotiations with Beijing,' says Beijing announced the Medog Dam, India has accelerated plans for the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP)—a colossal hydropower dam in Arunachal Pradesh intended to counter China's influence over the river. With a proposed capacity of 11,000 MW, SUMP's reservoir would hold 9.2 billion cubic metres (bcm) of water, compared to Medog's 5.5 bcm. Estimated at $17 billion (Rs 1.5 lakh crore), it will be India's most powerful hydroelectric project, designed to regulate water flow, mitigate seasonal droughts and serve as a safeguard against sudden surges from Chinese dams. While feasibility surveys areUnderway in Parong, a remote hamlet in Siang district, SUMP has faced resistance since its proposal by NITI Aayog in 2017. The project threatens to submerge over 30 villages, putting thousands at risk of also warn against escalating the dam race, as it could prompt China to fast-track its own projects, capitalising on its superior execution speed to shift the balance further in its favour. Such a move might also strain relations with Bangladesh, a crucial downstream stakeholder in any future Brahmaputra basin management framework. 'The concerns we've raised about China's projects are equally relevant to Bangladesh,' notes Prof. B.R. Deepak of the Centre for Chinese & Southeast Asian Studies at than pursuing a spree of dam construction, experts urge India to strengthen its northeastern water management systems. This includes enhancing independent river flow monitoring from China using advanced satellite technology, refining flood risk assessments and upgrading telemetry stations. Gamble points out that India lags behind China in studying Himalayan ecology and river systems. 'India has yet to thoroughly analyse the flow data China has provided on the Yarlung Tsangpo. Instead of issuing threats over dam construction, India must invest in a deeper understanding of the region's hydrology and risks. Armed with this knowledge, it can engage China in informed negotiations, presenting concrete evidence on the downstream impacts,' she and China share several major rivers, including the Brahmaputra, Sutlej and Indus. However, water-sharing remains a contentious issue, in the absence of a formal treaty. Despite China's upper riparian advantage, India can push for stronger data-sharing commitments under international conventions like the UN Watercourses Convention, which mandates that no country can take actions significantly harming another. However, neither India nor China is a signatory, and no Brahmaputra basin nation has ratified the 2014 UN Convention on Non-Navigational Water Uses, rendering first-user rights the Brahmaputra's turbulent waters, survival will depend not on the might of dams but on the foresight of nations.—with India Today NE BureauSubscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
Metro
8 hours ago
- Business
- Metro
Where hosepipe ban for millions comes into place today
Beginning this morning, millions more people are now under a hosepipe ban as Southern Water aims to address 'critically low levels'. Southern Water has introduced the ban across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, which comes into effect at 9 am today. Residents won't be able to use a hosepipe to do activities like watering the garden, washing their car, or filling a paddling pool. The company's managing director, Tim McMahon, said: 'Only by working together can we make sure there's enough water to go around for customers and the environment.' A spokesperson for Southern Water added: 'The Environment Agency has declared the Solent and South Downs in 'prolonged dry weather'. 'We need to work together to protect precious chalk streams and keep taps flowing.' The firm said it will remove the hosepipe ban 'as soon as we can', but this can only happen once its reservoirs, rivers and underground aquifers have refilled enough to meet demand. Customers in the affected areas could face a £1,000 fine if they're caught using their hosepipe unnecessarily – but Southern Water said they will 'always' remind people about restrictions before taking any action. But hosepipe bans bring to light the number of leaks in Britain's fragile water infrastructure, which cost customers £396million every year. Many customers feel angry that they are asked to stop watering their garden or washing their car, when 19% of treated water is lost to leaks before it even comes out of the tap. Southern Water has already placed a disclaimer on its website telling customers they will not receive a discount on their bills during the hosepipe ban period, saying the restrictions are in place to 'help to protect local rivers and keep taps flowing this summer'. The firm is one of several ordered last year to repay a total of £157million to customers after missing key targets on reducing pollution, leaks and supply interruptions. More than 3billion litres of water were wasted every day in England and Wales between 2020 and 2023 due to leaky pipes, amounting to 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools a day. But Mr McMahon says his team is 'working 24/7' to find and fix leaks. He added: 'We're using a wide range of innovative solutions like drones, sensors and even sniffer dogs, and are ensuring that our pipes, reservoirs and water supply works are working as efficiently as possible – but sadly this is not enough.' Thames Water announced a hosepipe ban on Monday while bans were announced by South West Water and Yorkshire Water earlier this week. Millions more people across England will soon face hosepipe bans that come into force later this week or early next week. PO14/30/31/32/33/34/35/36/37/38/39/40/41 SO14/16/18/19/21/22/24/31/40/43/45/50/51/40/53 RG20/28/26/19/28 SP10/11/5 Reservoirs are drying up thanks to a long period of dry and hot weather, with the UK experiencing three heatwaves practically back-to-back after the hottest June on record. Rain is forecast across the UK later this week, but this will only do so much to refill our reservoirs. In Yorkshire, for example, reservoirs are only 53.8% full, far lower than the 80.9% average for this time of year. More Trending Droughts have been declared so far in Cumbria and Lancashire, Yorkshire, the East and West Midlands, and Greater Manchester, Chester and Merseyside. Plus the Environment Agency says much of the rest of England is experiencing 'prolonged dry weather', with only East Anglia, London, Kent and Cornwall experiencing normal rainfall levels recently. Droughts are declared based on reservoir levels, river flows, and how dry the soil is – and back in May, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology warned many of the UK's rivers had hit exceptionally low levels. This has an impact on agriculture, as farmers have had to start watering their crops earlier rather than being able to rely on rainfall. Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ Or you can submit your videos and pictures here. For more stories like this, check our news page. Follow on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here. MORE: 'Saie's new setting powder is the 2-in-1 summer staple to set my make-up and add a glow' MORE: Should the voting age be lowered or raised and what about a top limit? MORE: Don't expect water bills to stop rising after we overhaul sector, minister warns
Metro
3 days ago
- Business
- Metro
Map shows where new hosepipe ban will come into force for millions today
Millions more people are now affected by hosepipe bans after restrictions ordered by South East Water came into force on Friday. Customers in Sussex in Kent can no longer use a hosepipe for activities including watering plants, washing their car, or filling a paddling pool. They join customers of Yorkshire Water, which introduced a ban a week ago. Southern Water has ordered a hosepipe ban to begin at 9am on Monday across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. On Tuesday, a ban will also come into force in a large area covered by Thames Water. You can check our interactive map to see which areas face bans and the date of enforcement. Southern Water's managing director, Tim McMahon, said: 'Only by working together can we make sure there's enough water to go around for customers and the environment.' A spokesperson for Southern Water added: 'The Environment Agency has declared the Solent and South Downs in 'prolonged dry weather'. 'We need to work together to protect precious chalk streams and keep taps flowing.' The firm said it will remove the hosepipe ban 'as soon as we can', but this can only happen once its reservoirs, rivers and underground aquifers have refilled enough to meet demand. Customers in the affected areas could face a £1,000 fine if they're caught using their hosepipe unnecessarily – but Southern Water said they will 'always' remind people about restrictions before taking any action. But hosepipe bans bring to light the number of leaks in Britain's fragile water infrastructure, which cost customers £396million every year. Many customers feel angry that they are asked to stop watering their garden or washing their car, when 19% of treated water is lost to leaks before it even comes out of the tap. Southern Water has already placed a disclaimer on its website telling customers they will not receive a discount on their bills during the hosepipe ban period, saying the restrictions are in place to 'help to protect local rivers and keep taps flowing this summer'. The firm is one of several ordered last year to repay a total of £157million to customers after missing key targets on reducing pollution, leaks and supply interruptions. More than 3billion litres of water were wasted every day in England and Wales between 2020 and 2023 due to leaky pipes, amounting to 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools a day. But Mr McMahon says his team is 'working 24/7' to find and fix leaks. He added: 'We're using a wide range of innovative solutions like drones, sensors and even sniffer dogs, and are ensuring that our pipes, reservoirs and water supply works are working as efficiently as possible – but sadly this is not enough.' Thames Water announced a hosepipe ban on Monday while bans were announced by South West Water and Yorkshire Water earlier this week. Millions more people across England will soon face hosepipe bans that come into force later this week or early next week. PO14/30/31/32/33/34/35/36/37/38/39/40/41 SO14/16/18/19/21/22/24/31/40/43/45/50/51/40/53 RG20/28/26/19/28 SP10/11/5 Reservoirs are drying up thanks to a long period of dry and hot weather, with the UK experiencing three heatwaves practically back-to-back after the hottest June on record. Rain is forecast across the UK later this week, but this will only do so much to refill our reservoirs. In Yorkshire, for example, reservoirs are only 53.8% full, far lower than the 80.9% average for this time of year. More Trending Droughts have been declared so far in Cumbria and Lancashire, Yorkshire, the East and West Midlands, and Greater Manchester, Chester and Merseyside. Plus the Environment Agency says much of the rest of England is experiencing 'prolonged dry weather', with only East Anglia, London, Kent and Cornwall experiencing normal rainfall levels recently. Droughts are declared based on reservoir levels, river flows, and how dry the soil is – and back in May the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology warned many of the UK's rivers had hit exceptionally low levels. This has an impact on agriculture, as farmers have had to start watering their crops earlier rather than being able to rely on rainfall. Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ Or you can submit your videos and pictures here. For more stories like this, check our news page. Follow on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here. MORE: The secret to Hailey Bieber's glowing skin isn't Rhode but this £7 COSRX sheet mask MORE: Thunderstorms, hail and torrential rain set to hit UK with temperatures soaring to 30C MORE: Readers demand consequences for politicians backtracking on promises and policies
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
‘You can float a little bit': Inside (and upside down nine times) Canada's Wonderland's new ride
I was strapped into a seat, flung upside down and propelled across a kilometre of track zipping along on the new launch coaster at Canada's Wonderland — a heart-pounding, gravity defying blast of force. AlpenFury, the latest addition to the park, is the country's longest, tallest and fastest launch coaster and has the most inversions for this style of ride in the world, according to Canada's Wonderland. To check it out, the Star sent a team — photographer Michelle Mengsu Chang and me — and it was a wildly exhilarating experience. To prepare I did a deep dive online and people were posting about being astonished to find themselves upside down, without feeling upside down. As soon as we were buckled up, Michelle frantically announced to me she had not been on a roller-coaster since she was 18. Right about the same time I started to worry my shoulders wouldn't have enough room to feel comfortable, but that actually helped me feel steady and in place once we got moving. Once seated and rolling, riders are treated to a couple of seconds travelling at a leisurely pace with a great view of the park down below and the coaster track weaving through the air and then, you're squared up with the mountain. Just breathe and don't let go. In one instant I was admiring the view and the next, seemingly without warning I felt a rush of propulsion behind me, instinctively, my eyes shut and all I could hear was the wind rushing ... and Michelle screaming beside me. AlpenFury, the 18th coaster at the 300-acre theme park in Vaughan, uses two parts of the track to launch from, giving riders an extra boost, so instead of feeling like you are being pulled along the track, you are being pushed from behind and the intensity from the boost is thrilling. As we entered the base of the mountain, darkness took hold — it was hard to see and even harder to be sure of what way was up and what way was down. AlpenFury's second launch hooked us at the bottom of the mountain and shot us vertically, 50 metres high through the centre of it — we found ourselves hurtled across the length of an Olympic-sized swimming pool, in only two-and-a-half seconds, and shot up out through the top. Star journalists Michelle Mengsu Chang and Reagan McSwain test ride the new Canada's Wonderland rollercoaster AlpenFury. Unlike traditional roller-coasters that rely on lift-hills to accelerate and gain speed, launch coasters use machinery to propel riders at high speeds quickly, and on this ride you can't help but feel the force as you zigzag across the one-kilometre track that crosses over a large part of the park. During the ride we were dipping and twirling through the air at speeds of 115 kilometres an hour and were upside down a total of nine times — but the details on when and where are fuzzy. The ride offers unique turns throughout that lean at angles that seem to keep one soaring, constantly moving without one second of rest throughout the 80-second ride. Whenever I managed to keep my eyes open, even just for a peek, I was fascinated by the fact I didn't feel a rush of blood to my head, yet found us to be soaring through the sky inverted. AlpenFury leaves the west side of the mountain and goes all the way east to the main gate and then returns, said Peter Switzer, director of maintenance and construction who was instrumental in the design and construction of the launch coaster. The ride, made up of three trains each able to carry six people at a time, has passengers seated in black and orange high-back seats, relying on a lap bar snug over riders thighs and shins, with a large handle to hold onto. When rides opened to the public at the start of the day, a wave of visitors rushed to the gate of AlpenFury to line up. 'In the old days it used to be a horse collar restraint that went over your shoulders and that kept you in,' said Switzer. 'What we found with those style of restraints is that it was hard on people who didn't know how to ride, that were banging their heads side to side.' The design used in the AlpenFury launch coaster is called a 'class-five restraint' because of the inversions and the ejection force that is trying to lift you out of your seat, said Switzer. Having a lap bar on your body achieves the need to keep you in your seat, but it still 'gives you that sense of freedom so that you can float a little bit,' said Switzer. 'I always thought of myself as someone too scared of roller-coasters,' said Michelle, 'and even though I screamed my head off and my throat still hurts, it was actually more exhilarating than scary.'
West Australian
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Where do celebrities stay in Bali? Four Seasons Resort and Soori Estate among top spots
When celebrities visit Bali, they don't just stay at luxury resorts. They stay at private residences set within the compounds of luxury resorts — super-villas or mansions that offer the ultimate in privacy, luxury and personalised service. In 2017, Barack Obama and his family stayed at the Royal Villa, a three-storey, three-bedroom residence at the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan on the outskirts of Bali's spiritual capital Ubud — the same residence where Julia Roberts lived with her two children while shooting Eat, Pray, Love alongside Spanish actor Javier Bardem in 2009. To avoid pandemonium, the Obamas did not check in at the hotel's reception. They were driven to the edge of the 72ha resort where a concealed clocktower staircase descends into the Royal Villa. The ground floor has a sunken living room, an even larger master bedroom and a formal dining room crowned by a nautically themed chandelier. Every room has floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that open onto a private garden where guests can spend their days lounging on canopied daybeds and swimming in a heated infinity-edged pool. An hour's drive but a million metaphorical miles away from the popular beaches of southern Bali on the lower west coast, Soori Bali in Tabanan Regency is one of the most sophisticated and secretive luxury resorts in Bali. Fronted by an empty volcanic black sand beach with a backdrop of emerald-green rice fields and the soft blue mountains of western Bali, you can walk for an hour from the front gate and see only locals, fishers and farmers, kids flying kites, or perhaps a lone surfer searching for uncrowded waves. Originally the holiday home of Soo K. Chan, one of Singapore's most renowned architects, today the property operates as a five-star only-villa resort with an Olympic-sized infinity-edge pool, 10 Hindu temples and shrines and 48 slick residences. They are mostly one-bedroom units though generously sized with private pools, inner courtyards and outdoor decks with barbecue and bar facilities. But when the Kardashians came here in 2018 to celebrate Kim Kardashian's 38th birthday, they stayed at Soori Estate, a double-storey mega-villa set on 5250m of beachfront. One of the largest and most expensive houses in Bali, it has 10 bedrooms with uninterrupted coastal views and rock-star bathrooms: marble-clad chambers with oversized bathtubs and grand shower rooms. In 2011, a few months after they made their red-carpet debut as a couple at the Vanity Fair Oscars party, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez were spotted at the Bulgari Resort Bali, a super-luxury resort set on the sea cliffs of Uluwatu, the southernmost point on the island. But the former couple who shared a tumultuous relationship and split up for the last time in 2018 did not stay at one of the resort's 59 villas. Instead, they stayed in one of Bulgari's five mansions, each with a front gate hewed from volcanic stone housing a security pavilion. Two luxury vans with drivers are included in the daily rate, along with housekeepers, groundskeepers, pool cleaners and a butler. The foyer leads into an open-plan living and dining room with a 10-person couch, Bang and Olufsen high-fidelity sound systems, a bar and a gourmet kitchen crammed with Miele appliances. A grand staircase crowned by a 5m crystal chandelier (or you can take the elevator) descends to the bedrooms on the ground floor. Each features a salon, walk-in dressing rooms, oversized bathrooms with onyx marble bathtubs plus outdoor showers enclosed by terrace doors that open onto sprawling decks. Beyond them lie 4000sqm of manicured tropical gardens with open-air lounge and dining pavilions plus a two-tier 25m infinity-edge pool.
