Drainage of main quake lake goes smoothly

Source: Xinhua | 06-08-2008 13:40

MIANYANG, Sichuan Province, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Drainage of the dangerous Tangjiashan "quake lake" in Sichuan Province has gone smoothly since Saturday. However, local government is still on high alert.

Engineering soldiers fire a missile to blast boulders in a man-made sluice channel in Tangjiashan, quake-hit southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 8, 2008. A total of 4 missiles were fired on Sunday to clear boulders in the sluice channel, which speeded up the drainage of the dangerous Tangjiashan quake lake that began on Saturday morning.(Xinhua Photo)

Engineering soldiers have fired missiles to blast boulders in a man-made sluice channel to speed up the speed of water drainage.

The lake started to drain on Saturday morning and water flowed at a speed of more than 10 cubic meters per second, far more than the previous two cubic meters per second, according to the quake lake relief headquarters in Mianyang City.

The water level in the lake stood at 741.70 meters above the sea level at 9 a.m. on Sunday, still 1.33 meters higher than that allowing drainage, according to the headquarters.

The Tangjiashan "quake lake", formed after quake-triggered landslides from Tangjiashan Mountain, blocked the Tongkou River running through the Beichuan County, one of the worst-hit areas in the quake.

An engineering soldier prepares to fire a missile to  blast boulders in a man-made sluice channel in Tangjiashan, quakehit southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 8, 2008. A total of 4 missiles were fired on Sunday to clear boulders in the sluice channel, which speeded up the drainage of the dangerous Tangjiashan quake lake that began on Saturday morning.(Xinhua Photo)

Holding more than 220 million cubic meters of water, the Tangjiashan "quake lake", the largest of more than 30 of its kinds in Sichuan after the May 12 quake, threatens some 1 million residents living in the lower reaches of the river once the lake overflows.

More than 250,000 people in low-lying areas in Mianyang have been relocated under a plan based on the assumption that a third of the lake volume breached its banks.

Editor:Xiong Qu