China fears more devastating floods as Yangtze River’s levels rise again
- River nears crest, threatening further damage from seasonal floods that have been especially severe this year
- Waterways breaking their banks and reports of a record rate of flow in the reservoir behind the upstream Three Gorges Dam
The rains are putting renewed pressure on the massive Three Gorges Dam that straddles the river upstream of the central city of Wuhan in Hubei province.
The official Xinhua news agency said the rate of flow in the reservoir behind the dam would hit a record for the year on Friday night, at 55,000 cubic metres (almost 600,000 cubic feet) per second.
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Why has flooding been so severe in China this year?
Rivers in the Yangtze system have broken their banks in places. A helicopter was used to drop stones into a breach to block the inrushing waters in Hubei.
Crews were dispatched with poles to probe waterlogged embankments for weakness and thousands of sandbags were being filled in preparation for more breaches that would need to be swiftly closed.
