An overflowing barrier lake in Southwest China's Sichuan province began discharging water at 10:50 a.m. on Monday through a man-made floodway, with the flow expected to peak in about 20 hours, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.
The lake has held about 524 million cubic meters of water since it was formed on Oct 11, when a landslide blocked a part of the Jinsha River.
Water entered the 220-meter-long floodway at 4 am and began discharging into the river's lower reaches almost seven hours later.
The upper and lower reaches of the Jinsha River had not seen a dramatic increase in water level as of 11 am, but experts predict a deluge after about 20 hours, the ministry said.
China's flood control authority declared an emergency response at 4 am to alert areas along Jinsha River of the potential risks and asked local authorities to take measures to ensure public safety, as well as reduce damage caused by the flood.
Some 34,200 people were evacuated along the river in Sichuan and the Tibet autonomous region as the lake's water level continued to rise, the Emergency Management Ministry said Sunday.
The barrier lake had inundated a farmhouse and a suspension bridge in Sichuan's Jinsha township, Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday.
Fifty-two barns, as well as farms and roads, were damaged, while 25 family homes, the township government building, a school and a clinic are under threat of flooding, the report said.
