The flood has caused water levels at all hydrographic stations along the Jialing and the Yangtze rivers to exceed levels considered safe, triggering a series of alerts. Maximum water levels at major stations such as Cuntan and Ciqikou exceeded safe levels by 8 to 9 meters on Thursday.

Chongqing had evacuated over 250,000 people and relocated about 130,000 people by late Thursday, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The Ministry of Water Resources said the Three Gorges reservoir in Hubei province was likely on Thursday to see the heaviest flooding since it was built in 2003 because of the sustained heavy rain.

A strong subtropical high stationary over the Yangtze River Basin has brought heavy, long-lasting rains, causing 51 rivers to rise above their warning level in the past week, the ministry said. That is the level at which the first warnings are sent to residents to prepare for possible flooding.

Water flow into the reservoir increased to an estimated 76,000 cubic meters per second on Thursday, the highest rate ever at the reservoir. That increased the discharge of excess water to about 48,000 cubic meters of water per second, up from 44,000 cubic meters, the ministry said. Water releases would be scheduled as appropriate and the best use would be made of all reservoirs along the river to reduce the impact of flooding, it said.