China's Three Gorges Dam ushers in largest flood peak

An estimated 76,000 cubic meters per second of flood water is expected to flow into the reservoir and will increase its flood discharge to about 48,000 cubic meters of water per second, up from 44,000 cubic meters, the ministry said, adding it will schedule and make the best of all the reservoirs along the river, including the Three Gorges Reservoir, to reduce the impact.

"A reservoir is like a water faucet that helps block the flood," said Chu Minghua, an official from the flood and drought disaster prevention department of the ministry, as quoted by People's Daily.

He said from Sunday to Wednesday, reservoirs in the upper reach of the river held about 5.7 billion cubic meters of flood waters, of which the Three Gorges reservoir held 28 percent.

"Mountain floods will be more likely to occur in the upper reaches of the river, where more rain is expected. After rounds of rain, soil has been loaded with water and likely to fall, leading to landslides," he said. "However, in the middle and lower reaches, rain will subside and heat will come instead. That will relive flood prevention pressure in the region."