
Authorities are concerned the swelling lake will burst as water from the Jianhe river in Beichuan county in China's southwestern Sichuan province rises behind the earthquake-created dam, the Xinhua news agency reported.
"The lake ... may cause a devastating flooding if the barrier bursts," Xinhua said. Authorities want to control the flow of water -- rather than have the dam give way all at once -- by creating a spillway.

Chinese environmental teams have also been sent to contain 50 sources of radiation from destroyed facilities in the region. International teams are preparing to review the impact to projects under construction for the purpose of providing carbon offsets as a way to lower China's impact on climate change.
The concern about the quake-formed lakes was exacerbated by a 6.0 aftershock -- one of over 94 recorded strong aftershocks -- on Sunday that was reported to have killed four more, injured 1,000, to have damaged another 400,000 structures and to have threatened another dam. The loss of life has been even worse for families under China's one-child policy.
The Chengdu Population and Family Planning Committee in the capital of hard-hit Sichuan province announced that families whose child was killed, severely injured or disabled in the quake could get permission to have another baby.
The Chinese government has announced they will rebuild the region once the situation stabilizes. Until then, government troops, officials and aid workers will struggle to manage the vast numbers of homeless, injured, as well as the threats from failing infrastructure in a province that continues to shake two weeks after the 7.9 quake.
Labels: Chicago Sun-Times, China, Climate Change, Earthquake, Environment, Flood, Reuters, World News