Chinese engineers are carefully draining a massive lake formed by last month's earthquake, reducing the threat of flooding for a million people living in the area.
Officials were monitoring bridges and river banks Saturday to see if they will hold up to the pressures of the flow, Chinese media reported.
The prognosis is optimistic.
"Emergency work is still proceeding urgently, but in the foreseeable future there's no risk of the dam collapsing," Xinhua, China's official news agency, quoted Chengdu Military Region Deputy Commander Fan Xiaoguang as saying.
Many of the 250,000 people displaced by the flood threat posed by Tanjiashan lake -- formed after the 7.9-magnitude quake on May 12 left the Jianhe River blocked -- are starting to dream about heading home.
"I wish the water would hurry up so we can go home," said Wang Jing, a 25-year-old nurse staying at the Sichuan Music School in Mianyang city. "My house is fine."
Officials say any return must wait until safety can be guaranteed. Some experts say a potential for flooding still remains
"We can't have any more deaths," said Liu Xulong, a Mianyang government official.
The official toll for the quake was given Saturday as 69,134 people, with another 17,681 still missing.
Tanjiashan lake was the largest of more than 30 lakes that formed after the quake triggered landslides in the mountainous province of Sichuan.
Efforts to drain the lake began about two weeks ago.
Soldiers hiked into the area on foot packing explosives, and helicopters brought in heavy equipment to build an approximately 500-metre-long diversion channel.
Crews are trying to build a secondary channel to improve the flow, China Central Television and Xinhua reported.
With files from The Associated Press
