At 8am on 14 January, the water level at Wuhu, located in the busiest shipping section of the Yangtze River, fell to 0.77 metres. This was the lowest level in 10 years, according to the Yangtze Waterway Bureau.

Waterway officials have employed more people to monitor changes in silting patterns and the river bed, and they have installed 24 extra beacon lights. Waterway patrol vessels have been put on round-the-clock duty to identify trouble spots and alert passing vessels.