Chinese authorities step up monitoring of barrier lake at Gyirong port after deadly landslide
Chinese authorities said on Tuesday that national emergency rescue services had intensified monitoring of the barrier lake at the Gyirong port following last week's deadly landslide in the Tibet Autonomous Region in southwestern China, while searches for the missing continue along the China-Nepal border.
When a mountain slope collapses and blocks a river, water with no outlet turns the valley into a giant reservoir ready to burst at any moment and bring fresh destruction. The tragedy in Gyirong has become not only a natural disaster but also a test for rescue services fighting on two fronts: searching for survivors and preventing a secondary catastrophe. Stepped‑up monitoring of the barrier lake is not just a precaution — it is a necessity dictated by rising water levels that threaten hundreds of lives and infrastructure downstream. Every hour of work by rescuers and scientists brings the situation closer to being brought under control and averting further disaster.
After the disaster in Gyirong County, Shigatse City, the Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched national emergency rescue teams to reinforce local operations and intensify rescue efforts in the border zone. On Tuesday, three national teams — the National Emergency Rescue Survey Team, the National Tunnel Emergency Rescue Team of China Communications Construction Company in Chongqing, and the National Tunnel Emergency Rescue Team of China Railway No. 2 Group in Tibet — formed a joint monitoring group for the barrier lake at the Gyirong port. Equipped with terrain‑measuring radar, unmanned aerial vehicles and life detectors, the teams are conducting round‑the‑clock monitoring of the barrier lake dam, the landslide mass on the southern bank and the slopes of the ravines downstream.
The Gyirong (Kyirong) port is a key land border crossing in southwestern China, connecting the Tibet Autonomous Region with Nepal. The landslide that occurred last week blocked the river, forming a barrier lake whose water level continues to rise. This poses a high risk of breach, which could trigger catastrophic flooding downstream on both the Chinese and Nepalese sides. Chinese authorities have deployed additional forces to monitor the situation, including tunnel specialists and emergency rescue teams also involved in searches for the missing. Operations are complicated by difficult terrain, unstable weather and the constant threat of further landslides.
As CCTV+ reports, the stepped‑up monitoring of the barrier lake in Gyirong is an important step in preventing further tragedies. Rescuers and scientists are working around the clock to assess risks and minimise the consequences of a potential breach. However, the situation remains tense, and the international community continues to monitor developments. This disaster once again highlights the need to improve early warning systems and international cooperation in responding to natural disasters in mountainous regions.
