(Yicai Global) July 20 -- The water inflow to the Three Gorges Reservoir was 46,000 cubic meters per second at 8.00 p.m. yesterday, down 15,000 cubic meters per second from the flood peak of 61,000 cubic meters. The Yangtze River No. 2 Flood this year has passed through the Three Gorges Dam and is heading for the middle and lower reaches of Asia’s longest river, CCTV News reported.

The inflow to the Three Gorges Reservoir rose to 50,000 cubic meters per second as of 10.00 a.m. on July 17 because of the recent torrential rains in the upstream and Three Gorges section formed the Yangtze River No. 2 Flood this year. The inflow surged to 61,000 cubic meters per second as of 8.00 a.m. on July 18, a peak that lasted for 18 hours and began to subside on July 19.

The Yangtze River water conservancy authority started to schedule the upstream reservoirs including the Three Gorges to substantially dam up the floods at 8.00 a.m. on July 16. The reservoir retained about 6 billion cubic meters in 78 hours and is still in the flood retention stage.

This year's second flood surge is heading for the middle and lower reaches and will be above the warning water level for a long time there with the addition of all rainfall it will pick up in the middle stretches.

Editor: Ben Armour