China warns of possible second flood as rescue work suspended

Before the dust could settle on the devastating flash flood that struck the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, fears of another flood have emerged in the same area. Consequently, China has suspended rescue operations in Tibet.

China's state-run television channel CCTV confirmed the information on Friday.

The CCTV report said a new "barrier lake" has been discovered near the Tibet-Nepal border, which could burst at any moment. As a result, rescue operations in Tibet will remain suspended for the next three days to monitor the overall situation.

A "barrier lake" is a type of lake formed when the path of a river or water flow is blocked by a natural dam. The devastating flash flood on Wednesday was also caused by a barrier lake. A glacial collapse had created a barrier lake in the Lehnde River, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi River on the Nepal-China border. Under the immense pressure of the river's flow, the lake eventually burst, releasing millions of cubic metres of trapped water into the Bhote Koshi, triggering the sudden flood around 10:30am in Nepal's border district of Rasuwa and Tibet's border district of Gyirong.

Nearly 500 people have died in that devastating flood, and around 1,400 people are still missing, including 865 foreign nationals. The flash flood has buried vast areas of Rasuwa, Gyirong and adjacent regions under millions of tonnes of mud, rocks and debris, with rescue operations still underway in Nepal.

The newly discovered barrier lake is located slightly upstream from the lake that burst on August 26, at the confluence of the Chochen Khola and Purepu Sangpo rivers in Tibet.

Currently, the lake is estimated to hold around 20 lakh (2 million) cubic metres of water, with overflow already beginning. China has warned that an additional 30 lakh (3 million) cubic metres of water could enter the lake in the next three days.

As a precautionary measure, China's Ministry of Water Resources has increased surveillance of the lake's water level and geographical changes. Villages in hazardous areas have also been evacuated. Special teams have been dispatched from Beijing and Chengdu for rescue and relief operations.

Source: The Guardian