The record low water levels on the upper reaches of the Yangtze have finally come to an end, according to the Yangtze Waterway Bureau. During the second half of March, the water level in Luzhou, Sichuan province, stood at 0.1 metres below sea level, the lowest since records began. From 4 April, the water level in Luzhou started to rise, to 0.85 metres on 9 April.

The extremely low water level has severely hampered normal shipping activities, allowing the passing of only eight vessels a day, carrying just 2,300 tons. Since then, shipping activities have returned to normal with the passing of 50 vessels a day carrying 30,000 tons of cargo.

In another development, the Three Gorges Dam finished replenishing water for the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze on 13 April, releasing a total of 5.1bn cubic metres of water. Between November and April, the Yangtze experiences its dry season. One of the purposes of the Three Gorges Dam is to regulate water levels to facilitate year-round shipping. According to officials from the Three Gorges Dam, the hydropower project was not affected during this water releasing cycle.