Alert remains while drainage goes smoothly at Tangjiashan quake lake

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Source: CCTV.com | 06-09-2008 18:21

Water levels at the Tangjiashan barrier lake in Sichuan province continues to go up. That's despite a complex drainage operation using a manmade spillway. Experts and soldiers are battling against time to move ahead.

China remains on alert Monday as the water level of Tangjiashan quake lake continues to rise.

Experts say the drainage process at the Tangjiashan barrier lake is currently smooth, with the increasing volume of water flow. By eight o'clock on Monday morning, the lake's water level reached 742.58 meters, with volume exceeding 245.7 million cubic meters. The water is running into the diversion channel at a rate of 48 cubic meters per second.

It's now flooding season in the lake's upstream region, and precipitation is greater than that of previous years. With the increased inflow, the barrier lake is facing challenges to its drainage capacity. On the other hand, water is seeping through some spots at the bottom of the lake's dam, which was created by mudslides after last month's massive earthquake. With the seepage volume slowly increasing, experts cannot rule out the possibility the dam may partially collapse. To ensure the safety of more than one million people downstream, experts and soldiers are racing against time to eliminate the possible threats.

There was moderate rainfall in the area on Sunday evening. Experts say the rise of the lake's water level will improve the diversion channel's drainage capacity.

Also on Sunday, a strong aftershock rocked the dam for about 20 seconds, triggering massive landslides on the surrounding mountains. Its impact on the dam is being examined.

Experts say the increase of drainage volume does not mean risks have been eliminated. A general supervising the relief efforts says it will take a few more days to get rid of the lake's potential danger. As high alert remains at the Tangjiashan barrier lake, the evacuees cannot return to their homes for the time being. The local government is trying its best to improve their temporary living environment.

Editor:Du Xiaodan