Emergency personnel worked throughout the weekend to gain control of a 226-meter breach at Dongting Lake.

By Probe International

The breach of a dike at Dongting Lake, the second largest freshwater lake in China, prompted the evacuation of 7,000 residents and the deployment of a large emergency repair and rescue operation over the weekend. No casualties have been reported.

On Friday, July 5 at approximately 5:48 p.m., a section of embankment in Tuanzhou township in southern Hunan Province burst following unprecedented rainfall, causing a breach with a reported flood flow reaching 5,000 cubic meters per second, expanding up to 226 meters wide and impacting an area of 47 square kilometers, according to reports. This is the biggest flood danger to strike the Dongting Lake region since the disastrous floods of 1998.

Echinanews (ECNS) reported local authorities dispatched 2,100 people and more than 160 ships as part of the emergency rescue effort, along with supplies for the thousands relocated. Drones, helicopters and satellites were also deployed to gain control of the situation.

Work continued throughout the weekend to fill the breach with sand and boulders. According to ECNS, the gap was expected to require 100,000 cubic meters of rock. Crews also worked to reinforce the embankment separating Tuanzhou from nearby townships.

According to China Global Television Network (CGTN), the 226-meter breach was expected to be sealed by noon Tuesday.

For photographs of the repair and reinforcement effort in progress, see: Race against time to combat dike breach in China’s second-largest freshwater lake | Global Times

The Dongting Lake region is a critical part of the Yangtze River ecosystem and an area that has faced a range of problems from pollution to overfishing and the construction of dams upstream over the years. These issues have led to a significant decline in the lake’s biodiversity, impacting the livelihoods of local residents who depend on the lake.