China warns high risk of breach at landslide‑formed lake near Nepal‑Tibet border
A massive landslide on May 26, 2024 triggered the formation of a new lake in the Duilong River valley, just a few kilometres from the Nepal‑Tibet frontier. Chinese authorities say the lake’s water level has risen rapidly, reaching roughly 40 metres above the original riverbed. If the natural dam fails, downstream villages could face a flash flood comparable to the 2023 disaster that killed dozens. The warning has set off coordinated evacuation plans on both sides of the border.
What happened: landslide creates lake and triggers flood warning
On May 26, heavy monsoon rains destabilised a 1.2‑kilometre stretch of slope in the Duilong River valley, a remote part of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The slide, measured at about 1.5 million cubic metres, blocked the river and formed a moraine‑dam that began filling with meltwater and runoff. Within a week, satellite imagery from the China National Satellite Meteorological Centre showed the new lake expanding to roughly 2.5 square kilometres, with a depth of 40 metres at its deepest point. Local officials, citing Xinhua News Agency, reported that the water volume now exceeds 100 million cubic metres – enough to inundate the downstream town of Gyirong if the dam were to give way. The Chinese Ministry of Water Resources classified the situation as a high‑risk breach, issuing an emergency alert on June 2. In response, the Tibet Autonomous Region’s emergency management bureau ordered the evacuation of 3,200 residents from three villages situated along the lower Duilong channel. Small concrete reinforcement works have been started on the dam’s downstream toe, but engineers say the structure remains unstable.
Why it matters: flood risk and regional implications
The potential breach carries immediate human costs. The lower Duilong valley is home to several farming communities that rely on the river for irrigation. A sudden outburst could wipe out crops, destroy homes, and force thousands more to flee, echoing the displacement seen after the 2023 Nyainqêntanglha landslide‑lake failure. Beyond the direct threat, the incident highlights the growing vulnerability of the Himalaya’s high‑altitude catchments to climate‑driven events. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have warned that rising temperatures are accelerating glacier melt, increasing the frequency of landslides that can create unstable lakes. For Nepal, the lake sits only 8 kilometres from the border, and any downstream surge would cross into the Sankhuwasabha district, where infrastructure is already fragile. The Nepalese Ministry of Home Affairs has therefore activated its own early‑warning system and is coordinating with Chinese counterparts through a bilateral disaster‑response protocol signed in 2021. Economically, the region could see a slowdown in cross‑border trade if roads are damaged, affecting the livelihoods of traders who move goods between Lhasa and Kathmandu. The event also puts pressure on the broader South‑Asian flood‑risk management framework, which many experts consider under‑prepared for compound hazards involving landslides, glacial lakes, and monsoon rains.
“Li Wei, director of the Tibet Water Resources Bureau, told reporters that "the dam’s integrity is deteriorating rapidly and a breach could occur within days if precipitation”
