French officials are set to begin the process of draining a lake that has formed under a glacier on Mont Blanc after concerns that its presence may lead to massive floods in the St Gervais valley.We featured the discovery of the lake on our news pages last month, and now the authorities have decided to act to avoid a natural disaster occurring in the popular tourist hotspot.

Mont Blanc lake to be drained
The lake is thought to contain around 65,000 cubic metres (2.3 cb ft) of water, and was only uncovered last month following routine checks in the area.

The decision to drain the lake has been influenced by a natural disaster that occurred in the region in 1892, when a lake flooded the same valley - resulting in the deaths of 175 people.

The valley remains a popular place to live and holiday, with around 3000 people based in the area.

Alarm systems were installed in the area in July after research suggest the lake, trapped beneath the Tete-Rousse glaicer, could unleash a torrent that would flood the valley within 15 minutes.

In an interview with the BBC, Nicolas Karr from the French National Forests Office revealed:

"They have to drill between 40m-50m (130ft-165ft) of ice before reaching the water cavity. We are about at 3,200m high, there's no road, only helicopter access, and it's also an area prone to avalanches.

"We don't have much time to operate because after mid-October, we don't know if the weather will be OK to go on with our works."

[source: www.bbc.co.uk ]