Barrier lake threatens residents in southwest China

Workers began to remove a dangerous barrier lake which was formed after a landslide and continuous rainfall, threatening residents downstream in southwest China's Sichuan Province, local authorities said Tuesday. The barrier lake is 3 kilometers away from a hydropower plant under construction in Sanjiao Township, Hanyuan County. A rainstorm-triggered landslide blocked the local Liusha River, forming the lake whose water level has reached about 40 meters, said a publicity official of Hanyuan. The blocking rocks are about 600,000 cubic meters in volume and the water in the lake is about 2 million cubic meters. The water level is expected to rise with the flood upstream. The lake is putting seven townships downstream in danger as water has been flowing out from the top of the landslide block. Workers will first blow up the dangerous rocks and then dig channels to discharge the floodwater. The work will take about ten days. Recent rainstorms have left dozens dead or missing in Sichuan. A landslide last Wednesday morning in the village of Sanxi in Dujiangyan City left 43 people dead. Some 118 people across the city, mostly tourists, are still missing or can not be reached. Sichuan will see a new round of heavy rainfall in its west areas from Tuesday evening to Thursday with precipitation of more than 300 mm, according to the provincial meteorological administration