China

Quake lake could overflow, threatens flooding

Article published on the 2008-06-04 Latest update 2008-06-04 10:02 TU

An aerial view of the Tangjiashan lake on 1 June 2008
(Photo: Reuters)

A massive lake that formed after the 12 May earthquake in China’s Sichuan province is now causing alarm. Liu Ning, the chief engineer at the Minstry of Water Resources, said on Tuesday that the Tangjiashan lake in Beichuan county was “extremely dangerous”, reported the China News Service. The surrounding area is still being hit by aftershocks.

“Aftershocks of over six on points on the Richter scale could have an impact,” said Liu.

A landslide after the earthquake blocked rivers in the mountainous area and since then water has been building up in several so-called ‘quake lakes’.

According to the China Daily website, as of Tuesday the water in the Tangjiashan lake was just over two meters away from the top of the dam. If it breaks through, flooding could put more than a million people in danger. Authorities had already evacuated at least 200,000 people living downstream.

Last week soldiers dug a channel to try to drain the lake - or at least to channel the overflow - but it may not have helped.

“After several measures undertaken at the lake, the situation remains extremely dangerous,” said Liu.

The Sichuan government has committed 200 million yuan (18.7 million euros) to fund efforts to control over 30 quake lakes that have been swelling and threatening to flood areas downstream.

Meanwhile, the government raised official death toll from the earthquake Tuesday to 69,107, with 18,230 missing.