Himal Press 
Screenshot of a Xinhua video showing dammed area.
KATHMANDU: The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) has warned of a possible flood in the Bhotekoshi River after receiving information that a lake has formed due to a river blockage on the border between the two countries.
According to the NDRRMA, the latest information received from China through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicates that satellite images and preliminary analysis show a lake has formed at the location where a flood occurred on Wednesday morning.
“The lake is continuing to grow and there is a risk that it could burst,” the NDRRMA said in its latest update. the authority said.
In view of the potential risk, the Flood Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has urged people in downstream areas of the Bhotekoshi River, travelers, rescue personnel and others concerned to remain highly alert until further notice.
Earlier, China Central Television reported that a significant barrier lake has formed near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers in Nepal, with its water volume estimated at 2 million cubic meters as of Thursday morning and the lake already overflowing. “Another 3 million cubic meters of water is expected to flow into the lake over the next three days, posing a high risk of a breach,” the television said, citing China’s Ministry of Water Resources.
NDRRMA has also advised people to stay away from riverbanks and other vulnerable areas and move to safer locations.
