Nepal, China warn of fresh flood risks with lakes threatening to burst

Nepal and China have jointly issued warnings about impending flood risks in the Himalayas, as two lakes on either side of their shared border show signs of imminent rupture. The two countries are still recovering from last week's devastating floods that claimed at least 362 lives and left nearly 1,000 people unaccounted for across the mountainous border regions.

Nepal's disaster authorities released an advisory on Thursday, alerting residents to exercise extreme caution near riverbanks and other perilous areas. They urged everyone, including rescue workers and passengers, to stay in safe locations away from the threatened lakes. In a similar vein, China warned of a potentially catastrophic breach of a dammed lake on its territory, predicting that 3 million cubic meters of water - equivalent to around 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools - would surge into the lake over the next three days. Peak flow, expected around September 1st, could exacerbate the flooding threat.

The growing volume of water in these lakes, attributed to a recent glacier collapse that deposited rock, ice, mud, and debris into the mountain rivers, has raised concerns among the international community. Chinese experts from the water resources ministry attributed the escalating risk to forthcoming rainfall, forecasting further escalation of the danger over the following week.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV quoted hydrology department researcher Zhu Jinfeng, who emphasized the increasing danger, stating, "The volume of water is continuing to increase, and so is the risk."

In response to these warnings, Nepali rescue workers have begun relocating to higher ground. Pawan Koirala, a rescue worker moving his team away from the riverbed, expressed his concern over the heightened risk, stating, "We are here for rescue and don't want to be near the danger zone."