Barrier lake in Gyirong poses high risk of breach
The Ministry of Water Resources has warned that a barrier lake formed after a devastating landslide near the Gyirong port in the Tibet Autonomous Region on Wednesday poses a high risk of breach, as water levels continue to rise. On Thursday, the ministry held a meeting to discuss the rising water levels in the barrier lake.
When mountain slopes collapse and block a river, water has nowhere to go and begins to accumulate, turning the valley into a giant reservoir that could burst at any moment. The tragedy in Gyirong is not just a blow from nature but also a race against time: while rescuers search for hundreds of missing people, the barrier lake continues to grow, threatening new floods downstream. Every hour brings new cubic metres of water, and the risk of a breach becomes more real. In such conditions, even the slightest error in forecasting could cost thousands of lives, and authorities are forced to operate at full capacity, combining search efforts with engineering protection against an impending water threat.
By Thursday morning, the lake contained about two million cubic metres of water and was already overflowing. Another three million cubic metres are expected to arrive over the next three days. A rescue team from Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, surveyed the landslide site on Thursday and confirmed that while the landslide zone had not expanded, the lake's surface continues to rise. The ministry is closely monitoring the barrier lake and modelling potential floods to guide rescue operations. "Given that light and moderate rain are expected in the Gyirong port area over the coming weeks, the inflow into the barrier lake is estimated at about 15 cubic metres per second, with the water volume continuing to increase and the risk continuing to grow," said Zhu Jinfeng, a second level investigator from the ministry's hydrological department.
The landslide struck the Gyirong port in Gyirong County on Wednesday morning. As of 08:00 on Thursday, three people had died, 558 were reported missing, and two local residents had been rescued.
The Gyirong (Kyirong) port is an important border crossing on the China Nepal border, located in the Tibet Autonomous Region. This mountainous area is prone to landslides and rockfalls, especially during the rainy season. The slope collapse blocked the river, forming a barrier lake whose water level is rising rapidly. If the lake breaches, a powerful debris flow could hit settlements downstream, both on the Chinese and Nepalese sides. Tibetan authorities have already dispatched additional forces to monitor the situation and are preparing evacuation plans in case of further deterioration.
As CCTV+ reports, the situation in the Gyirong area remains extremely tense. The water level in the barrier lake continues to rise, and the risk of a breach increases with every passing hour. Rescue efforts are complicated not only by the scale of the tragedy but also by the constant threat of new floods. In the coming days, weather conditions and the rate of water inflow will be the decisive factors. The international community is closely monitoring developments, offering assistance if evacuation or dam reinforcement becomes necessary.
