Reservoir level lowered to keep flooding at bay

Inflow from upper reaches of the Yangtze River so far this year has reached a 100-year high

Water behind the Three Gorges Dam in Yichang, Hubei province, will be drained to a historic low before Friday as part of a plan to minimize the risk of flooding in the Yangtze River during the coming wet season.

Zhao Yunfei, head of the Cascade Dispatching and Communication Center at China Three Gorges Corp, said on Tuesday that the depth of water at the Three Gorges Reservoir will be reduced to about 145 meters, 1 meter lower than previous years.