A river bank with a 40-meter break at the Xinzhen town section of Weihe River was successfully sealed at 2:27 am on Monday at Xinzhen town, Juxian county of Henan province. [Photo provided by China Aneng Construction Group Corp]

The section of a dam along the Weihe River in Hebi city, Henan province, that was breached after recent heavy downpours was closed early on Monday.

The dam was breached at 10 pm on Thursday after heavy rain caused the river to swell, according to the Ministry of Water Resources. After intensive efforts, the 40-meter-long breach was fixed at around 2:27 am on Monday, according to China Aneng Group, a construction engineering company that has been on site to stop the swollen river from causing further damage.

Sixteen nearby villages have been flooded by the river, and villagers have been evacuated to safe areas.

Rescuers and large pieces of equipment work to block the burst at the Xinzhen town section of Weihe River on Monday, at Xinzhen town, Juxian county of Henan province. [Photo provided by China Aneng Construction Group Corp]

Wang Yongping, a safety officer with the group, told media that efforts to close the dam have been extremely challenging. The dam section on the right side of the breach has become very fragile, which makes it impossible for heavy vehicles carrying construction materials to travel on, so all construction work has to be carried out from the left side, Wang said.

A total of 158 construction workers from the group have been working day and night in the heat to battle the flooding river.

The group has employed 39 pieces of construction equipment to fix the dam. Drones and unmanned ships have also been dispatched to monitor the Weihe's current to ensure construction work can be carried out effectively. 

Source: chinadaily.com.cn