Nepal, China warn of fresh flood risks with lakes threatening to burst
Summary
Nepal and China warned on Thursday of fresh flood risks in the Himalayas as two lakes on either side of their border threatened to burst after this week’s catastrophic flood. Search and rescue operations continued in debris-strewn valleys and hillsides, with nearly 1,000 people still missing and at least 362 killed. Both countries said a glacier collapse sent rock, ice, mud and debris into river systems. Officials warned residents and rescuers to stay away from river banks as rainfall and rising water levels increased the danger.
Key Facts
- Nepal’s disaster authority said a lake formed by debris blocking a river at the flood site is rising and could burst.
- China said 3 million cubic meters of water are expected to flow into an already dammed lake over the next three days, with peak flow expected around September 1.
- State broadcaster CGTN reported aerial footage showing brown water collecting behind a barrier of debris and stones with no visible outlet.
- Chinese state media said rainfall over the coming week will worsen the threat, and Zhu Jinfeng of the water resources ministry said the volume of water is continuing to increase.
An aerial view shows houses lying deluged in sludge following flash floods in Trishuli of Nepal's Nuwakot district on Thursday. Rescue teams scoured devastated zones, Thursday, for more than 1,300 people missing a day after flash floods and landslides along the Nepal-Tibet border killed at least 273, sweeping away entire villages. AFP-Yonhap
TRISHULI, Nepal / BEIJING — Nepal and China both warned on Thursday of fresh risks of flooding in the Himalayas as two lakes that have developed on either side of their border threaten to burst in a region still grappling with this week's catastrophic flood.
Search and rescue operations are still underway in the debris-strewn valleys and hillsides, with nearly 1,000 people still missing after Wednesday's flood struck the border regions of Nepal and China's Tibet, killing at least 362 people. Both countries have blamed the flood on a glacier collapse that pushed rock, ice, mud and debris into river systems in the mountains.
Nepal's disaster authority issued a notice on Thursday warning that a lake formed by debris blocking a river at the flood site is rising and at risk of bursting.
"Residents of the lower banks... passengers, rescuers engaged in rescue operations, and all concerned are requested to exercise special caution and stay in safe places away from the river banks and risky areas," the authority said.
China warned that 3 million cubic meters of water — the equivalent of about 1,200 Olympic swimming pools — are expected to flow into an already dammed lake on its side of the border over the next three days, creating a high risk of a breach, with peak flow expected around September 1. The formation of a barrier lake was captured in aerial footage by a Chinese rescue team on Thursday, state broadcaster CGTN reported.
The footage showed masses of brown water accumulating in a basin with no visible outlet. The water had already submerged bushes and trees and appeared to push against a barrier of debris and stones.
More rain expected
Rainfall forecast over the coming week will exacerbate the threat, Chinese state media said, citing the Chinese water resources ministry.
"The volume of water is continuing to increase, and so is the risk," Zhu Jinfeng, a researcher at the water resources ministry's hydrology department, told state broadcaster CCTV.
Heeding the warning, some rescue workers in Nepal began moving towards higher ground on Thursday.
Among them was Pawan Koirala, who began moving away from the river bed along with his team of 13 after the warning was issued.
"We are here for rescue and don't want to be near the danger zone," he said.
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