Deputy Chief Engineer of the Three Gorges Dam Control Centre Zhao Yunfa confirmed on 18 May that the emergency water release code has been activated for the second time in a month to alleviate the severe drought in the middle reaches of the Yangtze. On 16 May the volume of water released was 3,000 cubic metres per second more than that of water collected in the reservoir.

According to Mr Zhao, a rain shortage so far this month in the upper reaches and the tributaries, equivalent to a 60 per cent year-on-year decrease, has contributed to the reduced volume of water collected in the reservoir at this time of the cycle. For the next three days between 8:00am and 8:00pm, he said, the water volume released will continue to be 9,500 cubic metres per second to help improve shipping conditions in the middle reaches.

The first emergency water release code was activated between 7-10 May.