Three barrier lakes, which were formed by the blocking of a river in quake-hit Sichuan Province, overflowed on Sunday morning but have caused no emergencies, local rescue headquarters said on Sunday.

The three lakes, formed in Qingchuan County, had a volume of more than 10 million cubic meters, said an official with the headquarters for quake relief of Qingchuan County.

More than 20 million cubic meters of rocks slid after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on May 12 and formed the lakes.

Nearly 60,000 people live in seven towns and a county seat in the lower reaches of the three lakes.

The county has decided to allow natural overflowing and artificially divert water to ensure safety.

Many barrier lakes formed after the earthquake.

There had been no burst of reservoirs in the quake-hit areas, the headquarters' team in charge of water facilities said.

Liu Ning, Ministry of Water Resources' engineer-in-chief, told Xinhua on Saturday some water facility projects, such as reservoirs and hydroelectric stations, suffered damages after the quake.

To prevent disasters, the ministry has dispatched 25 work teams to check affected reservoirs.

(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2008)