Written by rjs, MarketWatch 666This is a collection of interesting news articles about the environment and related topics published last week. This is usually a Tuesday evening regular post at GEI (but can be posted at other times).
China swings into flood defenses as 97 rivers exceed warning levels
Shan Jie Published: May 27, 2021 08:14 PM
Photo taken on July 18, 2020 shows the Three Gorges Dam opening the floodgates to discharge the floodwater on the Yangtze River in central China s Hubei Province. Photo:Xinhua
China has swung into gear to fortify its flood-defense network ahead of what may be a heavy flood season, with 97 rivers across the country having already exceeded warning levels as of Thursday.
Observers said the Three Gorges project will be able to handle greater flooding than last year, so there s no need to hype the deformation theory.
Along the Yangtze River basin, 47 reservoirs have been prepared to relieve floods, with a total flood control capacity of 69.5 billion cubic meters. Most of these reservoirs have been discharged to full levels, Wang Wei, an official with the flood and drought disaster prevention office of the Ministry of Water Resources, told state broadcaster China Central
Some call it the eighth wonder of world. Others say it s the next Great Wall of China.
Upon completion in 2009, the Three Gorges Dam along China’s Yangtze River will be the world s largest hydroelectric power generator and one of the few man-made structures so enormous that it s actually visible to the naked eye from space.
NASA s Landsat satellites have provided detailed, vivid views of the dam since construction began in 1994. The Yangtze River is the third largest river in the world, stretching more than 3,900 miles across China before reaching its mouth near Shanghai. Historically, the river has been prone to massive flooding, overflowing its banks about once every ten years. During the 20th century alone, Chinese authorities estimate that some 300,000 people were killed from Yangtze River floods.