Three Gorges Dam overcomes greatest challenge since its construction

The Three Gorges Dam, constructed and operated by China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG), saw the safe passage of Yangtze River’s fifth flood of the year at 8am on August 23 as floodwater inflow decreasing to 35,000 cubic meters per second, successfully facing the largest flood since the dam’s completion in 2003.

During this round of flooding, the dam has retained a total of 7.66 billion cubic meters of floodwater with a peak flow rate of 75,000 cubic meters per second, alleviating flood control pressure in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

To cope with the flooding, CTG followed operation instructions to control the discharge flow of the Three Gorges Dam to 49,200 cubic meters per second that helped to withhold 34.4% of the peak floodwater, playing a significant role in retaining floodwater while reducing and shifting the floods’ peaks.

As of 8 p.m. on August 23, the Three Gorges Dam had successfully mitigated nine floods during this year’s monsoon season, including five numbered ones. After multiple rounds of storage and discharge, the dam retained a total of nearly 29 billion cubic meters of floodwater.