(ANSA) - BEIJING, AUGUST 20 - Two months of heavy floods, as they have not happened for decades, are hitting central and southeastern China and putting a strain on the Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric project in the world struggling these days with the greater flow of water into his story.
According to state media, the Yangtze River has swelled due to exceptional loads from dozens of tributaries and is conveying over 75 million liters per second to the Hubei Basin: already this morning, the dam's 11 outlets were open to remove 49.2 million liters of water, the largest release ever since the completion of its construction in 2003 after 12 years of construction.
The water level in the Three Gorges has reached 145 meters in height and is still rising so much that a peak of 165.5 meters is expected on Saturday.
The structure has a height of 185 meters and the Ministry of Water Resources, wanting to reassure, recalled that it was designed to withstand pressure up to 175 meters.
The latest images released on the emergency have not appeased the fears: upstream of the Three Gorges, the megalopolis of Chongqing ended up underwater as it hadn't happened since 1981 and almost 300 thousand people were evacuated, while downstream the threat hanging over the provinces of Hunan, Henan and Hubei.
In that of Sichuan, which surrounds Chongqing, the statue of the giant Buddha of Leshan is at risk. Rescuers and volunteers have been committed to protecting a masterpiece with 1,200 years of history: floodwaters have reached the toes for the first time since 1949.
Floods threaten to derail the fragile recovery of the country, already affected by the Covid-19 crisis: damages of at least $ 20 billion, while the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has raised the alarm on food security, with a supply gap of about 130 million tons by the end of 2025.
President Xi Jinping is since the beginning of the week in untour inspections in Anhui province, another area tested by floods. (HANDLE).
China: heavy floods, the Three Gorges dam under stress
2020-08-20T18:19:08.126Z
Two months of heavy floods, as has not happened for decades, are hitting central and southeastern China and putting a strain on the Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric project in the world struggling in these days with the largest influx of AC. .. (ANSA)