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Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River has withstood its biggest flood-control since its completion in 2009. The flow volume reached its peak Tuesday morning on the river's upper reaches.
The flood peak with a inflow of 70,000 cubic meters a second is the first major flood-control test of the world's largest dam.
With discharge volume at 40 thousand cubic meters per second, the dam successfully eased the pressure on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River by 40%.
Chen Fei, GM, China Three Gorges Group, said, "Flood control is an integral system, the Three Gorges project is a backbone project. Without it, flood water flows uncontrolled. Now it can work as an adjustment reservoir. When the flood peak comes, we contain it in the reservoir releasing flood pressure downstream. "
This flood peak, if uncontrolled could flow downstream causing devastation.
In 1998, floods killed more than 4,000 people when the flow volume was 50, 000 cubic meters per second.
The design capacity of the dam is 100,000 cubic meters of water per second for peak volume.
All shipping services were halted at the Three Gorges Dam on Monday.
Flood control headquarters says services will be resumed after the influx falls from 70,000 to 45,000 cubic meters per second.