
Major hidden risks remain around a barrier lake in Gyirong county, Xizang autonomous region, that formed as a result of a deadly mudslide originating in Nepal, according to China's Ministry of Water Resources.
Downstream riverbanks remain at risk of collapse, which could create new barrier lakes, while glaciers around a nearby scour pit in a Nepalese river that drains into China also face potential collapse, the ministry said in a media release late on Monday.
Latest monitoring shows that the water surface of the scour pit in Nepal's Chhochen Khola River — which converges with the Purepu Tsangpo River in China — has continued to shrink, it said.
As of 5:14 am on Monday, its water surface spanned 83,000 square meters — a decrease of 25,000 square meters from 11 am Sunday and 14,000 square meters from 7 pm Sunday.
"Glaciers around the scour pit still face the risk of collapse, posing major hidden dangers," the ministry noted.
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It said drone footage on Monday morning showed multiple landslide bodies of varying sizes along both banks within 3 kilometers downstream of the barrier lake.
The affected areas in the river are still in a state of channelized flow, but there is a risk that they could collapse and form a new barrier lake, the ministry said.
