Water level drops at major quake lake

By Yang Jian  |   2008-6-10  |     ONLINE EDITION

THE water level began to drop for the first time this morning at a lake that formed after the earthquake in Sichuan Province, Xinhua news agency reported.

An artificial sluice has allowed water to begin draining from Tangjiashan lake as of Saturday.

Xinhua reported that all soldiers and engineers were evacuating the area via helicopter over fears that the rapid water flow will cause the lake to burst.

The water level of the lake dropped to 742.18 meters above sea level as of 9am today, 40 centimeters lower than 8pm yesterday, the report said.

Another Xinhua report said the outflow of the lake has reached 1,760 cubic meters per second through the sluice channel, more than the average influx of 115 cubic meters per second.

The flow downstream has reached 2,240 cubic meters per second, the report added.

Engineers set off two blasts along the sluice channel this morning, increasing the speed of the flow, the report said, citing Ge Zhenfeng, chief commander of quake lake relief work. Ge described it as a "great breakthrough" in the team's drainage work.

The water level of the lake had been increasing by about 1 meter per day though soldiers carved a drainage channel into the dam and began to make a sluice gradually on Saturday.

The speed of the outflow was only 1 cubic meter per second on Saturday as numerous boulders blocked the channel, previous reports said.

Soldiers carved a second drainage channel and fired more than 10 short-range missiles yesterday to blast the boulders to speed up the flow of water in the lake that threatens up to 1.3 million people living downstream.

The Tangjiashan Lake was formed when a landslide set off by the massive May 12 earthquake blocked the flow of the Tongkou River in Mianyang City in quake-hit Sichuan Province. The lake was holding 248.6 million cubic meters of water.

If the unstable dam gives way it will create a flood that could threaten many people already forced from their homes.