Three Gorges reservoir braces for flood

The Three Gorges reservoir is preparing for a flood that is expected to arrive in the coming week.

Photo taken on Oct. 5, 2017 shows water discharging from the Three Gorges Dam, a gigantic hydropower project on the Yangtze River, in Yichang City, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Zheng Jiayu)

Heavy rain is forecast in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and its tributary, Hanjiang River, in the following three days, which will result in flood around Oct. 12, according to the Yangtze River Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

At 8 a.m. of Oct. 12, the reservoir will face an inflow of 30,000 cubic meters per second, up from 24,000 cubic meters of the day before.

The headquarters ordered the reservoir to cut its outflow to 25,000 cubic meters per second from 2 p.m. Sunday and to 22,000 cubic meters from Oct. 9.

More than 43,000 people have battled flooding of the Hanjiang River during the National Day holiday. Recent rainfall and increasing discharge from the Danjiangkou reservoir on the river have caused the flooding.