The Controversial Three Gorges Dam

China’s provinces along the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River have experienced extreme weather conditions in the past few months. In April and May, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui and Jiangxi were hit by a severe drought which led the water level of lakes connected to the river to drop to a record low. However, since the beginning of June, these provinces together with other southern provinces, have witnessed excessive precipitation which caused flash floods.

BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Severe floods triggered by heavy rains will continue to threaten southern parts of China and bring the country into a crucial moment for flood control, Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei said Sunday.

There are increasing possibility that downpours, with enhanced frequency and intensity, will continue to lash the country's southern regions, Chen, also deputy head of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, told a meeting in Beijing to discuss flood-control measures.

BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The nation's drought relief and flood control agency said Monday recent rains have helped alleviate the severe drought in the regions along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The continuous rains have effectively eased the drought in the central Hunan and eastern Jiangxi provinces, while in Hubei, Jiangsu and Anhui, the drought was also partially degraded, said the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters (SFDH).

A drought that has plagued the Yangtze River's downstream provinces for the last two months has caused direct economic losses of 2.44 billion yuan (about 376 million U.S. dollars) in east China's Jiangsu Province, according to official statistics issued Thursday.

The drought has affected 1.09 million people in Jiangsu so far, and these people are in urgent need of government relief, said a statement from the National Commission for Disaster Reduction (NCDR), citing reports from the province's civil affairs agency.

On June 6, the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, China Meteorological Administration (CMA) took national weather consultation as usual. After listening to the analysis on weather condition of China Meteorological Office, Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang, Zheng Guoguang, Administrator of CMA conveyed Premier Wen Jiabao’s important requirement delivered when he investigated in Jiangxi, Hunan and Hubei and his requirement put forward in the symposium on 5 provinces’ (Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan) drought relief work.

Premier Wen Jiabao urged local authorities to make great efforts to tackle drought-related problems in a recent tour in the country's parched central provinces.

The drought relief work must be pushed forward and a scientific approach taken, as its success is key to maintaining stable and rapid economic growth in the country, Wen told a seminar in Wuhan, capital city of central Hubei Province, following his inspection tour of Jiangxi, Hunan and Hubei provinces from June 2 to 4.

The worst drought which hit provinces along the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River in 50 years will be eased as rains are forecast in the region over the following three days.

Moderate to heavy rains will pound the souther part of Hubei Province, northern part of Hunan Province, northern part of Jiangxi Province, most parts of Zhejiang Province and southern parts of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces from June 3 to June 5, the China Meteorological Administration said Friday in a statement on its website. Certain parts will experience rainstorms, it added.

Severe drought is continuing in central and southern China. Water shortages have affected residents and crops, resulting in shrinking lakes, rivers being cut off, and a suspension of shipping in some provinces and cities such as Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui and Shanghai.

The worst drought to hit Hunan Province in nearly a century has caused water shortages that have affected 1.11 million people in this central China province, said an official with the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

BEIJING, May 30 (Xinhua) -- The persistent drought along the Yangtze River has plagued 104.4 million mu (6.96 million hectares), or more than 5 percent, of farmland in China as of Sunday, the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said.

The drought, started in April, has affected 3.29 million people and 950,000 livestock in the five provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, and Hunan, where dry spell is most serious, according to the latest government statistics.