Videos show cities upstream of Three Gorges Dam inundated by biggest flood this year

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/07/28
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Chongqing Chaotianmen Dock. (YouTube, Real China TV screenshot)[/caption] TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Despite the purported "flood reduction" effects of the Three Gorges Dam downstream, Chongqing was hit by the crest of a massive flood on Monday (July 27), inundating parts of the megacity, as well as other nearby municipalities.

After being pounded by torrential rain for days, the Changjiang Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources on Sunday (July 26) announced that the "No. 3 Flood" was striking the upper reaches of the Yangtze River Basin. The mammoth flood surged down the Jialing River, a tributary of the Yangtze, submerging the ancient town of Ciqikou and inundating low-lying areas of the megapolis Chongqing, including its famous landmark Chaotianmen.

Hong Kong's Economic Times reports that by 6 a.m. on Monday morning the water level at the Cuntan hydrologic station in Chongqing rose to 180.5 meters, exceeding the warning level for the first time this year. This also represents the largest flood to pass through Chongqing so far this year.

Located at the nexus of the Yangtze River and Jialing River, water buried Chaotianmen 180 Platform, the Chaotianmen Dock, and floodwaters reached the middle of the Chaotianmen Square entrance. Meanwhile, the water level in Ciqikou, a town with a thousand years of history, climbed to 184.07 meters, three meters higher than the warning level.
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