China's Yangtze River is undergoing the second flood of 2024, according to Xinhua. The first major flooding in Asia's longest water source was reported in late June in the downstream area.
The water flow into the reservoir of the Three Gorges Dam reached 50,000 m3/s at 6:00 p.m. on July 11, pushing the water level of the Three Gorges Dam to 161.1 m, the highest level in the history of the Three Gorges Dam in July, the Ministry of Water Resources of China informed.
Previously, the water level in the Tam Hiep dam reservoir reached 159.9 m on July 10, 15 m higher than normal.
On July 10, the Three Gorges Dam released floodwaters for the first time this year. At that time, the water flow into the reservoir of the Three Gorges Dam reached 31,000 m3/s.
The Three Gorges Dam opens floodgates to ease concerns about flood control upstream of the world's largest hydroelectric project as rain moves west along the Yangtze River, China Daily reported.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources, the discharge rate from the two spillways of the Three Gorges Dam in Yuxiang, Hubei Province has gradually increased from 27,000 m3/s to 31,000 m3/s.
The latest flood and storm news from the Global Times said that since the beginning of this week, the area affected by the main flood in the Yangtze River basin has shifted from the middle and lower reaches of the river to the upstream of the longest river in China.
China's weather forecast predicts that there will be continuous heavy rains along the upstream of the river for the next 10 days and a new flood will sweep into the reservoir area of the Three Gorges Dam on July 16.
In addition, a flood with a maximum flow of 45,000 m3/s flooded into the reservoir in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River on July 12 and two other significant floodwaters are expected to occur in mid-July.
In recent weeks, southern China has seen persistent heavy rain.
As of July 11, 6 people have died in Diem Giang district, Trung Khanh city after heavy rains. The city government has activated emergency response to natural disasters and controlled floods in many districts.
From July 10-11, heavy rain swept through 26 districts of Trung Khanh, of which 5 districts, including Truong Tho and Phong Do districts, had extremely heavy rainfall.
There are 15 rivers in Trung Khanh that have exceeded the warning level while 4 other rivers have flood levels exceeding the safe level.
China's Ministry of Water Resources has issued emergency response measures to floods in several provinces and sent five working groups to Sichuan, Chongqing, Hunan, Jiangxi and Anhui to provide flood relief.
China's Ministry of Water Resources also called for efforts to strengthen flood monitoring and early warning, increase dyke patrols and evacuate people living in flood-prone areas to safe places.
After China entered the rainy season, many areas in the middle and downstream of the Yangtze River were hit by persistent heavy rain. Therefore, the water level at 185 hydrological stations exceeded the flood warning level on July 2.
During that time, the Three Gorges Dam played an important role in mitigating the impact of water from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, significantly reducing flood control in the downstream, according to the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources.
