"We have begun to evacuate people in the lower reaches of the quake lakes," said Zhu Bing, vice director of the Sichuan Provincial Water Resources Bureau on Friday.

"There is a possibility of (the dam) collapsing entirely in the case of a strong aftershock or rainstorm," Zhu said of the Tangjiashan barrier lake in Beichuan, which Premier Wen Jiabao toured on Thursday. The stored-up rainfall has reached 3,500 square kilometers. This is the rainy season in the area.

However, Tangjiashan barrier lake poses no major risk in the near future, said Zhu Bing.

Local government has evacuated all residents last Saturday from Beichuan which could be engulfed by the Tangjiashan barrier lake, if it bursts out.

Thirty three "barrier lakes' were formed after the May 12 earthquake, said Zhu Bing, one less than the previous number published by the State Water Resources Department on Thursday.

Wen conducted a fly-over inspection on Thursday by helicopter of a quake lake, which is formed by landslides that block rivers.

If these lakes collapse, they will threaten lives in the lower reaches of the Qianjiang River, according to Zhu.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2008)