Quake-triggered landslides and heavy rain have caused around 35 'quake lakes' to form and over 250,000 people have already been moved to higher ground amid fears the lakes were about to burst.
The main threat is the Tangjiashan Lake, where Chinese troops have been working round the clock to dig channels to try and drain off some of the 245.7 million cubic meters of water, threatening up to 1.3 million people downstream.
Xinhua reported Sunday that the water-level at the lake was continuing to rise despite the drainage channel.
The country's worst earthquake in 30 years has claimed the lives of over 69,000 people, but Chinese authorities expect the final toll to exceed 80,000.
According to official data, 373,500 people had been injured in the disaster and around 18,000 are still missing. Over 45.5 million have been affected by the earthquake, with 1.5 million evacuated from the disaster zone.
