50,000 cubic meters per second of flood waters rushing into Three Gorges Dam, matching 1998 levels
by Keoni Everington
Taiwan News
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As torrential rain ravages southern China for the second straight month, the government has issued a number for a massive flood of the Yangtze River Basin, which threatens to further overload the Three Gorges Dam.
A “No. 1 Flood” has been announced for the Three Gorges Dam headwaters. According to China’s major river numbering regulations, when the inflow of the Three Gorges reservoir reaches 50,000 cubic meters per second and the water level in the middle reaches of Lianhuatang rises to the warning level, the flood will be assigned a number.
With the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) on Thursday (July 2) issuing a heavy rain warning across China for the 31st straight day, netizens continue to speculate about the integrity of the Three Gorges Dam as it faces its greatest test since completion in 2003.