Wanli River barrier lake overflow delayed until early Monday: Agency

Taipei, July 18 (CNA) The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA) said Saturday that the expected overflow of a barrier lake on Hualien County's Wanli River has been delayed until the early hours of Monday due to increased seepage.

The latest monitoring data from FANCA showed that the water level stood at 1,086.4 meters as of 8 a.m. Saturday, 1.1 meters below the dam crest.

Speaking during a Central Emergency Operations Center (CEOC) meeting, Huang Chun-tse (黃群策), director of FANCA's Hualien branch, said the agency deployed drones to monitor water levels, with aerial images sent back at around 6 a.m.

Huang said seepage from the natural dam continued, but the agency believes it remains limited to surface erosion and that any potential flooding will remain confined to the river channel.

He added that aerial monitoring will continue to track changes in the water level.

Meanwhile, the increased seepage has slowed the rise of the water level, delaying the estimated time the dam crest will be overtopped until the early hours of Monday, the director said.

The CEOC had earlier estimated that the barrier lake could overflow on Sunday.

● 'Red' flood alert to be issued Thursday afternoon for Hualien barrier lake

Minister Without Portfolio Chi Lien-cheng (季連成), who also attended the meeting, said a "red" alert -- warning of severe flooding -- will remain in place despite the delayed overflow time, urging local governments to continue assisting evacuated residents.