A natural reservoir formed after a flood on the Nepal-Tibet border contains about 2 million cubic meters of water.
On Thursday, Chinese authorities evacuated residents from several localities in Tibet threatened by the possible breach of a lake that formed after a flood struck a border area between Nepal and Tibet.
RELATED:
Nepal Flash Flood Leaves at Least 160 People Dead and 800 Missing
The lake formed near the confluence of a river flowing from Nepal with another waterway in Tibet and contains about 2 million cubic meters of water, according to data from the Chinese Water Resources Ministry.
The natural reservoir was already overflowing, and authorities estimate that another 3 million cubic meters of water could enter it over the next three days, increasing the risk of a breach and sudden water discharge. The flow is expected to reach its peak Sept. 1.
Tibet’s Natural Resources Department reported that threatened residents of several communities located downstream had been moved to safe locations. The natural barrier is about 50 meters high and more than 3 kilometers long and it poses a serious threat to areas downstream.
https://twitter.com/shen/_shiwei/status/2092940627847897179
The Water Resources Ministry deployed hydrological monitoring teams and is using simulations to analyze the possible behavior of the water in the event of a breach to support emergency operations.
Previously, Chinese scientists determined through satellite images that the disaster originated with the detachment of a mass of ice in a glacial area of Nepal located at an altitude of between 5,200 and 5,500 meters.
The mass swept up glacial material and descended at high speed, becoming a debris flow and later a mudslide that reached the Gyirong border crossing after traveling about 20 kilometers in just seven minutes.
The flood hit Rasuwa district in Nepal’s Bagmati province and the neighboring Gyirong county in southwestern Tibet, where search-and-rescue operations are continuing.
In Nepal, authorities raised the death toll to 359. So far, 445 people had been rescued alive, including 27 foreigners. On the Tibetan side, the latest available figures put the number of deaths at three and the number of people who had lost contact with authorities in Gyirong at 558, including 260 foreigners.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.