The Three Gorges Dam in central China's Hubei Province ushered in the largest flood peak since the construction of the reservoir. The Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest hydroelectric dam. The dam, which was completed in 2006, was designed for a maximum water level of 175 meters. The Three Gorges, completed in 2012, was designed not only to generate power but also to reduce the risk of flooding from the Yangtze, the cause of many devastating floods throughout China's history.
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| President Xi visited flood affected areas |
Three Gorges Reservoir saw an inflow of 75,000 cubic meters per second. Eleven sluice gates were opened on with a discharge flow of 49,400 cubic meters per second. The Yangtze River where it sits has flooded 5 times in 2020. State media said the Three Gorges Dam now faces the highest peak if the flood level since it was built. All areas along with Yangtze are still recovering from heavy flooding in July. China is facing back to back calamities in the year. After Wuhan virus, devasting floods to Yangtze cause more problems to China. Crops for this season washed away with the floods. 2020 is the year of historic floods has already caused US $26 billion in economic losses.
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| Released water from dam touched 71 m Buddha statue |
Around 220 people have died or the missing because of floods. Over 63 million people have been affected. The Three Gorges Dam is home to one of the world’s largest power plants. Even state media maintain silent, some experts say the reservoir raises the risks of earthquakes and landslides. In 2019, state-owned operators of the dam denied it was in trouble. The Three Gorges Dam is a multi-functional system for controlling water on China’s longest river, the Yangtze. It stores flood water in the summer and releases it during the dry season to ease brought. The Largest Dam in the World (Three Gorges) Experiencing Fourth Flood this year. Will it survive?
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