The Three Gorges Dam is preparing for the fourth flood of this year when heavy rain poured in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in Sichuan province this week.
Currently, floodwaters have risen to the foot of the giant Buddha statue Leshan Giant Buddha or the Great Buddha statue of Lac Son in Tu Xuyen - the largest and highest Buddha statue in the world.
Floods caused by heavy rain began to hit Tu Xuyen from August 10, cutting off 5 expressways, 5 toll stations and 12 national highways and provincial roads. So far, about 100,000 people have been affected by flooding in 14 rivers across the province, Taiwan News reported.
The area most severely flooded was Mi Son city, Tu Xuyen province. Mi Son was almost completely submerged in floodwaters, affecting 21,000 people. Villages, towns and agricultural land along the Man River, the confluence of the Yangtze River, were also flooded over a wide area.
According to Chinese state media, heavy rains on August 12 occurred in many cities in Sichuan province, including Guangxi, Chengdu and Jiangran in the west, and Myanmar in the central part of the province. In these areas, Duc Duong is the place with the heaviest rain with recorded rainfall of up to 191.7mm.
The storm is forecast to continue on August 13. The Tu Xuyen Meteorological Agency still issued an orange storm warning. From August 11 to August 12, about 107,000 people across Sichuan province were affected by flooding, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Nha An city, Tu Xuyen province recorded 6 deaths and 5 missing people, more than 40,000 people had to evacuate from their homes and the maximum rainfall here was recorded at 447.5mm, according to Xinhua.
At 7:00 a.m. on August 11, a bus visiting the Jiuzhaigou scenic area in Sichuan encountered a landslide due to heavy rain, killing 1 person and injuring 6 others.
As severe weather continues to strongly impact China, the National Meteorological Center of the China Meteorological Administration, the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of China have issued a storm warning, a red alert for the rapid flow disaster in the mountains and a weather warning for the risk of causing geological disasters. These warnings are effective from 8:00 p.m. on August 12 to 8:00 p.m. on August 13.
Chinese authorities also note that heavy rains have been recorded in many other areas, including Inner Mongolia, northeastern China, northern China, southwestern China, Yunnan and southern China. Heavy storms have also occurred in Beijing, the Western Ship and heavy rain is forecast to continue in the Tu Xuyen basin.
Information on the website of Truong Giang Hydrological Station said that the water level in the upstream and midstream of the Yangtze River has increased again. The water level at stations in Cuntan and Vu Long districts of Trung Khanh, Nghi Xuong city... has all exceeded the alarm level.
China's Three Gorges Dam experienced three floods in July this year and authorities fear that the heaviest rain will continue to raise the dam's reservoir, forcing authorities to release floodwaters for the fourth time this year.
