(CHEN MIN)

Inset: The Three Gorges Dam on July 17 (ZHENG JIAYU)

Floodwaters are released from the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in Yichang, central China's Hubei Province, on July 20.

The dam, China's largest flood control project, acts as a buffer for the worst flooding in decades as it blocks more than 40 percent of upstream water.

The peak influx into the Three Gorges Reservoir topped 70,000 cubic meters a second on July 20, the highest level since the dam was completed last year. The flow is still 30,000 cubic meters below its designed capacity. The discharge has been kept under 40,000 cubic meters a second to help flood-fighting efforts in downstream areas that have been plagued by weeks of heavy rainfalls.

The Three Gorges Reservoir has a capacity of more than 20 billion cubic meters with a maximum water level of 175 meters.