BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Water Resources on Thursday activated a level-IV emergency flood response in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region as a barrier lake that formed after a mudslide hitting the border port of Gyirong faces a high risk of breaching and sending floodwaters downstream.

Photo: IC

The mudslide that occurred on Wednesday caused a barrier lake to form near the confluence of two rivers, which had accumulated an estimated 2 million cubic meters of water as of Thursday morning.

According to forecasts, inflows into the lake could reach about 3 million cubic meters over the next three days amid continued rainfall, increasing the risk of a breach that could send floodwaters downstream and potentially cause further damage in areas including Gyirong Port and elsewhere downstream.

In response, the ministry has instructed local authorities to closely monitor the barrier lake and rainfall, strengthen forecasting and risk assessments, and accurately identify people living in areas that could be affected downstream.

The authorities should issue timely risk warnings and evacuate threatened residents in advance, according to the ministry.

The ministry has dispatched an expert team to Gyirong County to assist with the emergency response, while a hydrological emergency monitoring team deployed earlier is closely monitoring the situation at the site.