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Quake lake nears bursting point

PHOTO: XINHUA

PREVENTING FLOOD: The dam of the Shibangou quake lake in Qingchuan County, Sichuan Province, being demolished on Wednesday. A blast was carried out to widen the dam's sluice by 15 metres. A 12 million cubic metres lake, threatening the safety of thousands downstream, has been formed after landslips triggered by the powerful May 12 earthquake struck Sichuan Province. Due to aftershocks and rainfall, chances for the lake to burst were growing higher.

MIANYANG (SICHUAN): The possibility of flooding from the Tangjiashan “quake lake,” caused by China’s May 12 earthquake, increased on Thursday even as water levels rose steadily to the point where engineers believed they may be able to open a drainage sluice.

The water level at the Tangjiashan Lake in Beichuan county, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, had risen to 738.71 metres by on Thursday, still 1.29 metres below the drainage sluice, said the lake control headquarters. Another 10,441 residents in a low-lying area about 50 km from the lake were evacuated on Thursday afternoon, and a traffic ban was enforced in downstream areas. More than 250,000 have been relocated.

Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in Mianyang on Thursday to oversee drainage of the lake. “Now is a critical moment for the Tangjiashan Lake and the most important thing is to ensure there are no casualties,” said Mr. Wen.

Emergency teams had been hoping to drain the lake on Thursday, but fresh landslips and higher than expected rainfall had added to the risk of the lake breaching its banks and flooding downstream areas, said a spokesman. The mud and rock dam was also in danger of collapsing under the pressure of the mounting volume of water behind it, and seepage was already occurring. More than 600 armed police and soldiers dug a 475-meter-channel to divert the water.

The May 12 quake triggered landslips in Sichuan, blocking rivers and creating more than 30 unstable “quake-formed lakes.” — Xinhua

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