The water levels were unusually high and prompted the government to take drastic measures as death toll mounts.
Picture Courtesy: Associated Press
A dam in the Chuhe river in Anhui province in Central China was blasted by the authorities on Sunday amidst severe flood that has claimed scores of lives. The dam was destroyed with explosives in order to release surging water behind it. The water level was expected to drop by 70 centimeters after the dam was blasted.
Blasting dams and embankments to discharge water was an extreme response employed during China’s worst floods in recent years in 1998, when more than 2,000 people died and almost 3 million homes were destroyed. This summer more than 150 people died due to floods in China.
Water levels on many rivers, including the mighty Yangtze, have been unusually high this year because of torrential rains. The gargantuan Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze opened three floodgates last week as the water level behind the massive dam rose more than 15 meters (50 feet) above flood level. Another flood crest is expected to arrive at the dam on Tuesday.
China’s largest freshwater lake Poyang lake caused massive flooding in 15 villages and agricultural fields in Jiangxi province due to a 620 foot break on the lake. Firefighters were deployed to fill the break and was filled up on Saturday. All over the rivers soldiers are testing the strength of embankments and shoring them up with sandbags and rocks.
Seasonal flooding has led to massive loss of lives and property in China this year. According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, about 1.8 million people have been evacuated and direct losses attributed to flooding are estimated at more than 49 billion yuan ($7 billion)
Though major cities are safe so far, concern has risen over downstream metropolises like Wuhan.
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