Water in barrier lake being discharged

Water began to be discharged on Monday from a lake that had formed behind a landslide on the border of Sichuan province and the Tibet autonomous region.

A man-made floodway was created to channel the water and prevent a secondary disaster if the natural dam were to burst, flood control authorities said.

The discharge reduces risks as the lake's water level continues to rise, said Xu Chong, a researcher at China Earthquake Administration's Institute of Geology. Backed-up water is threatening the upper reaches of the Jinsha River, and poses a potential danger downstream if it were to break out.