China’s Three Gorges Dam opens sluice gates to discharge flood water

The Three Gorges Dam, which spans the Yangtze River in China’s Hubei province, has opened its sluice gates to discharge flood water after heavy rains pushed water levels to the limit.

The upper reaches of the Yangtze River has been rising at speeds approaching 40,000m³ per second, reports xinhuanet.com.

On Monday, the water lever in the dam rose to over 146m, which is one metre higher than the maximum flood limit level.

Flood prevention measures have been taken by the local government and all the related departments are on the alert.

Due to the influence of the estimated flood speeds, which are set to peak at 42,000m³ per second, the Gezhou Dam’s number one navigation lock is required to halt shipping service.

The outbound flow of the dam rose to 34,000m³ per second, which was sufficient to power all 32 generators at the dam for the first time, generating nearly 22 million kilowatts of power.

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Image: The Three Gorges Dam reached its flood level limit following heavy floods in across Southern China. Photo: Rehman.