Premier Wen Jiabao landed on the dam of Tangjiashan quake lake in Sichuan province yesterday as water flowed into a sluice built a few days ago.
The premier walked out of a helicopter after it landed on the landslide-created dam on the Jianjiang River near Beichuan in Sichuan province to review the situation first hand.
The presence of the premier on the dam allayed fears somewhat that the quake lake was about to break its bank.
CCTV footage showed Wen standing on the bank of the diversion channel, from where water was flowing, and talking with soldiers and officials.
"This is a critical moment for the Tangjiashan quake lake, and the most important thing is to ensure there are no casualties," Wen was quoted by Xinhua as saying. The premier was on his third trip to the quake-hit zone.
Rescue workers let the lake water flow into the sluice to prevent the dam from bursting its bank and flooding human habitation downstream.
A spokesman for the local disaster relief headquarters had warned late on Wednesday that the quake lake could break its banks because of the aftershocks, and rain in the upper reaches of the river.
"Water has been seeping from the dam," he said.
The water level in the largest quake lake, which holds more than 200 million cu m of water, rose to 739 m yesterday, just 1.2 m below the overflowing point.
Landslides triggered by the May 12 quake have formed 34 such lakes, and People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers had to blast a dam in Qingchuan county on Wednesday to drain out water from one of them.
More than 250,000 people have been evacuated from Beichuan county and Mianyang city.
Troops carried out a thorough check in Jiangyou's towns yesterday to ensure that no villager had returned, Xinhua said.
（英语点津 Helen 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Bernice Chan is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Bernice has written for newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and most recently worked as a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, producing current affairs shows and documentaries
