China warns of 'high risk' that new lake could burst and trigger further flooding near Nepal border
China has warned there is a high risk that a lake formed by a recent landslide near the Nepal-Tibet border could burst and cause fresh flooding downstream. The alert follows Wednesday's deadly flash flood in the region, triggered by a glacier collapsing into a river.
Chinese authorities have warned of a high risk that a barrier lake, formed after a recent landslide near the Nepal-Tibet border, could burst and unleash further flooding downstream.
The warning follows a deadly flash flood on Wednesday in the same area, which scientists believe was caused by a mountain glacier collapsing into a river. A barrier lake forms when debris blocks a river's flow, creating a new body of water.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, by Friday morning around 2.5 million cubic metres of water had already built up in the lake. Officials expect a further three million cubic metres to flow in between Thursday and Saturday, raising the risk of a breach.
The lake formed at the point where the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers meet. China's Ministry of Water Resources said the lake has already begun overflowing, a situation worsened by heavy rainfall in the area.
Authorities have deployed engineering teams to track water levels and weather conditions around the lake.
A CCTV report broadcast Friday morning said most Chinese emergency personnel are currently stranded in a village roughly 7km from Gyirong Port, the major land crossing between Nepal and China that was struck by Wednesday's flood.
The non-stop overflowing of the lake threatens to trigger new floods or debris flows, and because of this danger, search and rescue operations near the Nepal-Tibet border have had to be halted.
