Authorities destroyed part of a dam in eastern China, where the waters had reached a critical level, media reported on Monday as the country suffered record rains. Central and eastern China have been affected since June by torrential rains and floods, which have left at least 140 dead and missing, according to the official report.
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The intensification of rainfall in recent weeks has caused a sudden and worrying rise in water levels around the Yangtze, China's longest river, which affects some 24 million people, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Historical level
In eastern Anhui province, a dam on the Chu River was blown up on Sunday as the water level approached dangerously close to historic levels. The measure was taken to ensure the safety of residents, said local authorities quoted by the media. The partial destruction of the dam, located some 400 km northwest of Shanghai, is expected to reduce the level of the river by about 70 centimeters, according to the Global Times daily.
Photos published by the media showed huge areas submerged in muddy water after the destruction of a section of the dam. Flooding occurs every summer in China due to seasonal rains and snowmelt in the Himalayas.
But the trend has increased over the decades, in part due to the massive construction of dams, which in places prevent lakes and plains from fully absorbing summer floods. Environmentalists also point out that the rapid melting of Himalayan glaciers, due to climate change, could lead to even more dangerous flooding in the future.