The Yangtze River is facing its third flood peak due to continuous torrential rain in its upper and middle streams, while authorities warned of possible new flood peaks in the near future and required the Three Gorges Reservoir to reserve enough space for possible floods.
The volume of water inflow that has entered the reservoir has reached 50,000 cubic meters per second, according to media reports, adding that the reservoir will see inflow volume of 60,000 cubic meters per second around Tuesday.
Multiple rivers in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze exceeded the alert level by up to 2.04 meters.
China's Ministry of Water Resources also warned on Sunday that regional once-in-a-decade floods are hitting the Huaihe River, which is located about midway between the Yellow River and Yangtze River.
E Jingping, minister of water resources, said on Sunday that the relevant departments should coordinate with the Three Gorges Reservoir to impose staggered regulation on floods from the upper stream of the Yangtze and other rivers. The water level of the reservoir should not be too high so that space can be left for possible big floods, and at the same time, safety must be ensured for the middle and downstream dykes.
China has entered its rainy season. Since June, continuous downpours have lashed large parts of southern China, and the waters of many rivers in the affected regions have exceeded warning levels. The northern stretches of Jiangxi Province have experienced heavy downpours since July 6, with water rising significantly in local rivers and lakes.
