New Disaster: Reserviours, Lakes in danger after quake China

How quake lakes formed 2:36 CNN's Hugh Riminton explains how quake lakes were formed and the threat they pose. Race to stop rising waters 3:17 'Quake lakes' threaten to overflow, endangering thousands of people in China. CNN's Hugh Riminton reports. Quake lakes pose threat 3:02 CNN's Hugh Riminton looks at how the formation of quake lakes are threatening 700,000 people in Sichuan, China. Explosive remedies 1:13 China's military prepares to use dynamite to blow up quake rubble in Shifang, China. Office of the State cabinet said 65000 dead 23,150 persons were still missing.Ministry of Water resources said three reservoirs were in danger of collapse in northwest China's Shaanxi Province after the 6.4 magnitude aftershock in Sichuan Province MIANYANG, China -- Chinese officials rushed Tuesday to evacuate another 80,000 people in the path of potential floodwaters building up in a lake in northern Sichuan province formed by this month's earthquake, state media reported, as soldiers scraped a channel to try to drain away the rising waters. State-run Xinhua New Agency said emergency workers would try to complete the evacuation by midnight Tuesday, raising the number of people moved out of the threatened valley to almost 160,000 people from more than 30 townships. Chinese cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin said the death toll from the May 12 quake rose to 67,183 -- an increase of 2,100 from a day earlier. Premier Wen Jiabao has said he expects the death toll to eventually surpass 80,000. Health officials said higher-than-normal rates of stomach pains and fever had been reported among the millions of quake survivors, but that no major disease outbreaks had occurred. Qi Xiaoqiu, the director of disease prevention at the health ministry, told reporters in Beijing the quake had knocked out much of the region's health infrastructure, but that 12 field hospitals had been erected and tens of thousands of health professionals were working in the disaster zone. "With the destruction by the quake, the living and sanitary conditions have worsened for the local population," Mr. Qi said. "Their physical conditions are weakened [and they are] more vulnerable to disease." Some five million people were left homeless by the quake, and many of them are living in tents or makeshift communities that are clustered throughout the disaster zone -- where rising waters and dozens of fragile dams created during the earthquake are posing new threats. Pressure is building behind the dams as rivers and streams feed into the newly formed lakes. Officials fear the loose soil and debris walls of the dams could crumble easily, especially once the water level reaches the top and begins cascading over. Some rising floodwaters have already swallowed villages. Associated Press Excavators work Monday at Tangjiashan lake, one of dozens of lakes formed by landslides during the earthquake that are posing a new threat in the disaster zone. The Tangjiashan lake now holds 34 billion gallons of water, Liu Ning, chief engineer at the Ministry of Water Resources, was quoted as saying on CCTV. About 1,800 soldiers clambered up mountain paths to reach Tangjiashan with plans to blast through the debris and drain the water, Xinhua reported. It didn't say when the blasting operation would take place. "We are prepared to get rid of the trees by chopping and explosion. After that, the second batch of equipment will be moved in," Mr. Liu said. In Sichuan's Qingchuan county, 1,300 people have been evacuated from Guanzhuang because of landslide worries. Local official Li Guoping said plans were being drawn up to evacuate all 23,000 people in the area if needed. He said landslides that blocked rivers had formed 10 lakes, but only three had the potential to be dangerous if there were heavy rains. "I worry about the start of the rainy season," Mr. Li said. Adding to the threat, thunderstorms were forecast for parts of Sichuan this week -- a foretaste of the coming summer rainy season that accounts for more than 70% of the two feet of rain that falls on the area each year.

Channel: News & Politics
Uploaded: November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am
Author: ChinaReport

Length: 09:19
Rating: 4.40
Views: 4916

Tags: China  earthquake  fears  flooding  lakes  News  quake  update  World  

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