1.   Besides being carried out on unstable soil, the construction also stripped hillsides of vegetation that held the earth.

2.   Flooding hits much of China every summer, aggravated by heavy farming that has stripped hillsides of vegetation that would trap seasonal rains.

3.   Residents desperate for heating fuel have stripped hillsides bare of trees.

4.   Summer downpours frequently trigger deadly floods in China, often because centuries of overfarming have stripped hillsides of vegetation that would absorb rain water.

5.   The construction also stripped hillsides of vegetation that held the earth.

6.   The impact of record-setting torrential rains has been magnified because centuries of overfarming have stripped hillsides of vegetation needed to trap rainfall.