Record low water levels are affecting the lower reaches of the Yangtze as much as the middle reaches, according to statistics from the Yangtze River Administration. Between 6 and 11 November, the water level in Nanjing ranged from 1.35 metres to 1.94 metres. In Zhenjiang, it stood at 2.22 metres on 6 November before falling to 1.82 metres five days later.

In the middle reaches, the problem was even more acute. The water level in Yichang, for example, fell from 1.60 metres on 6 November to just 0.45 metres on 11 November. The water level in Jingzhou was well below one metre throughout the five-day period.

The Three Gorges Dam is continuing with its programme of replenishing water in the middle and lower reaches.