China and Nepal are racing against time to prevent a new disaster on their border, after floods and an avalanche led to the formation of a huge lake in a mountainous area, which is feared to explode in the coming days and expose thousands of people and rescue teams in the valleys to direct danger, while rain is still falling and increasing the fragility of the soil and rocks.
According to a report published by the Israeli “N12” website, China is preparing to prevent a new wave of floods in the mountainous region on the border with Nepal, after the ice collapse and the disaster that occurred this week led to the formation of a barrier lake that currently contains about 1.5 to 2 million cubic meters of water.
During the next three days, the lake is expected to receive about an additional 3 million cubic metres, an amount equivalent to about 1,200 Olympic swimming pools, which greatly increases the risk of the collapse of the water barrier and the occurrence of a new flood.
Chinese television reported that the lake has already begun to overflow its banks, while fears are growing about the possibility of its collapse in the middle of next week, which may threaten everyone currently in the valleys and the teams carrying out rescue operations in the wake of the previous flood.
China sent a specialized engineering team to inspect the situation on the ground and study the available options, while the possibility of digging a channel to drain water from the lake is being investigated with the aim of lowering its level and reducing the pressure that might lead to the collapse of the barrier.
The situation is further complicated by the continued rainfall in the area, which leads to the weakening of the soil and rocks in the highlands and increases the possibility of collapses.
The barrier lake is about 150 meters long, and its depth ranges between 40 and 50 metres.
Chen Hanxiao, one of the engineers on the team recruited by China, said that the general approach to reducing the level of danger is to dig a drainage channel at a low point of the barrier, but determining the depth and width of the channel requires precise calculations based on the speed of water flow and the rate at which the lake fills.
The Chinese authorities warn that the level of danger has become high, with an additional 3 million cubic meters of water expected to enter the lake within just 3 days.
According to estimates, the peak of water flow is expected to reach around September 1, which puts the authorities and rescue teams in a time race to relieve pressure on the lake before reaching this stage.
In parallel with engineering efforts, search operations continue for about 1,000 people still missing on both sides of the border.
According to official officials, among the missing are 540 people holding the nationalities of 31 different countries, while there is still one Israeli without contact.
The death toll from the disaster also rose to 469 people.
Aerial photographs showed huge amounts of water collecting inside the basin with no clear exit, submerging trees and shrubs, while the increasing mass of water was pressing on a massive gathering of rocks and rubble.
In the Jirong border port area, the area witnessed light to moderate rains that contributed to increasing the instability of the soil and rocks, while expectations indicate that the rains will continue during the next week.
The teams on the ground continue to carefully monitor the stability of the buffer zone upstream, in an attempt to prevent the lake formed after the first disaster from turning into a spark for a new flood that could double the extent of destruction and losses.
