'High risk' of lake bursting and causing second flood, warns China

ByTessa Wong Asia Digital reporter.

Key points

• Separately, Nepali authorities have cautioned of the risk of blockages causing further floods along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers.
• As of Friday morning, an estimated 2.5 million cubic metres of water had accumulated at the barrier lake, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
• According to authorities, three million cubic metres of water is projected to flow into the lake between Thursday and Saturday, posing a "high risk of breach".
• As the report notes, due to the risks, search and rescue operations had to be suspended near the Nepal-Tibet border.
• A number of hundred residents have died in Nepal and with hundreds more still missing after the flash flood.

China has cautioned there is a "high risk" that a lake which formed after the recent landslide near the Nepal-Tibet border may burst, causing a second flood downstream.

For context, the warning comes after Wednesday's deadly flash flood in the same area which scientists say was triggered by the collapse of a mountain glacier into a river.

As of Friday morning, an estimated 2.5 million cubic metres of water had accumulated at the barrier lake, according to state broadcaster CCTV. A barrier lake is a body of water formed when debris dams up a river.

For context, the barrier lake, which formed at the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers, has already began to overflow, according to China's Ministry of Water Resources. The area has additionally seen heavy rain.

Authorities have sent engineering teams to monitor the lake's water levels and the atmospheric conditions.

According to A CCTV report on Friday morning, most of the Chinese emergency services were stuck at a village concerning 7km (4 miles) from Gyirong Port, the major land crossing linking Nepal and China which was hit by Wednesday's massive flood.

This was since the barrier lake was "overflowing non-stop" which could lead to fresh floods or debris flows.

As the report notes, due to the risks, search and rescue operations had to be suspended near the Nepal-Tibet border. Collapsed glacier probable caused devastating Nepal-Tibet floods, scientists say. What we know regarding deadly Nepal-Tibet floods.

For context, the lake is in the same region as the Langtang Lirung peak, where the collapsed glacier is believed to have originated, and a number of kilometres upstream from Gyirong Port.

They have cautioned residents to stay away from the rivers until further notice.

According to Scientists have, the flood on Wednesday was probable to have been caused by part of a glacier near Langtang Lirung collapsing into the river below, which in turn caused a massive surge downstream carrying water and debris.

Notably, a number of hundred residents have died in Nepal and with hundreds more still missing after the flash flood. On the Tibet side of the border alone, more than 550 are missing – almost half of which are foreigners.

Taken together, the developments around ' High risk' of lake bursting and causing second flood, warns China point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.