China Fears “Quake Lake” Will Flood

Engineers and soldiers are attempting to safely drain the lake by digging and blasting out draining channels. Engineers say the water cant flow out of the dam to fast or too slow as either extreme will build pressure and trigger the collapse of the dam.

“Increasing the outflow of water is critical for the dam’s safety. If the water flows too slowly, the inflow will increase the pressure on the dam. But again, too voluminous an outflow can erode the diversion channel and cause the dam to collapse,” says Zhang Ting, head of the hydro-meteorological bureau in the Sichuan province.

If the dam bursts, it could threaten nearly 1.3 million residents downstream. More than 250,000 people have already been evacuated.