Located in central China's Hubei Province, the Three Gorges project, the world's largest hydroelectric project, had a water flow of 43,000 cubic meters per second at 8:00 p.m. Friday.

"We managed to keep water level under 144 meters by opening 16 of the 23 sluice gates to ease the flood pressure on the mid-lower reaches," said Zhao Yunfa, a senior official with China Yangtze Three Gorges Project Corporation (CTGPC).

The rising water level, due to the continuous rainfall on upper reaches of the Yangtze River, has posed a threat to vessels between the dam and Gezhou Dam Project, the first giant water conservative project built over Yangtze River in 1989, 38 kilometers downstream.

"The water level is expected to fall gradually tomorrow," noted Zhao.