Rising Yellow River erodes dikes, affecting drinking water in Lanzhou

City crews are working overtime to repair a 350-meter-long eroded river dike in Lanzhou, capital of Northwest China's Gansu Province, which was caused by rising waters of the Yellow River following torrential rains, local authorities said Tuesday.

A 100-meter-long section of the dike in the city began to erode Sunday afternoon, some 18 days after a separate section experienced a similar problem, which damaged a water main running underneath the dike, affecting fresh water supplies in many districts.

No casualties had been reported, but the latest trouble has delayed repair work on the water supply system and the dike that was damaged earlier, the Lanzhou Evening News reported Tuesday.

"We've connected a temporary water main to recover the water supply, however, the pipe may corrode after soaking in river water for a long time," a municipal administration official from the city government, who refused to be identified, told the Global Times.

"This section of the dike is hit by the full force of the rising river water and the embankment has not been fortified for years. The quick rising water has caused the erosion," an official, who was not identified, told the Lanzhou Evening News.

While the Lanzhou section of the Yellow River has been reported to be at its highest level since 1986, the river has not caused any flooding in the city as its waters remain several meters below the top of the dike.

Maintenance workers have been dispatched to patrol the dike and local police have cordoned off the collapsed section, the Lanzhou newspaper reported. A lack of available gravel and the rising waters make it difficult to predict when the dike will be repaired.