The drought in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River is worsening following little recent rainfall in the region. As a result, low water levels have been reported Yichang, Chenglingji and Wuhan.

The deputy director of the Yangtze Waterway Bureau Guo Xiaohao said that it has put 16 dredgers on standby for the challenging situation in the middle reaches and 35 danger spots across the upper, middle and lower reaches.

Mr Guo said that patrol teams will be dispatched to these areas as a special precaution and officials will crack down hard on activities such as overloading that damage the waterway.