Continuous downpours and flooding in the mid-upper sections of
the Yangtze River, China's longest, has kept the water level rising
in its middle and lower reaches, sources with hydrographic
departments said on Friday.
According to Cheng Haiyun, general engineer of the Yangtze River
Hydrological Bureau, unremitting rainstorms continued to pelt the
western part of Hubei Province and Chongqing Municipality on
Thursday and Friday.
The water level monitored at 8 AM Friday in Wuhan, in the middle
reaches of the Yangtze, stood at 22.61 meters, up 0.36 meters over
the same time Thursday. In Datong in the mid-lower reaches, the
level rose up 0.14 meters to 10.29 meters.
The water influx to the Three Gorges Reservoir reached 34,200
cubic meters per second at 8 AM Friday and the water level of the
reservoir rose to 144.02 meters.
Major Yangtze tributaries in the middle reaches, including
Wujiang River, Qingjiang River and Hanjiang River all saw the water
level rise between 8 AM Thursday and 8 AM Friday.
Rainfall is forecast in the same region for the next few days,
and water levels in the Hankou and Datong stations are expected to
rise to 23.65 and 11.25 meters by Saturday morning, according to
Cheng.
(Xinhua News Agency June 23, 2007)
