The Three Gorges Reservoir welcomed the rain that fell Wednesday night, the largest amount since the reservoir began filling on June 1.

The precipitation reached 10 to 40 millimeters, according to the local meteorological station.

The rainfall is crucial because it expands the water volume of the source feeding the reservoir so as to ensure that the water level reaches its target of 135 meters by June 15, said Zhao Yunfa, senior official from the China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation.

Records from the monitoring department show that, since the reservoir officially began storing water at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, its inflow volume has gradually declined from 12,500 cubic meters per second to 11,500 cubic meters per second at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, approaching the required minimum rate of 11,400 cubic meters per second.

The sources feeding the reservoir include the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, its tributaries and thawed snow from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The reservoir's inflow rate depends to a great extent on weather conditions in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, said local experts.

Liu De, vice director of the Chongqing Meteorological Station, said that an additional two-to-three-day rainfall is forecasted before June 15.

((Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2003)