A basin-wide flood may hit the Yangtze River from June to August, imposing an unprecedented challenge to the Three Gorges Dam, said an official with China Three Gorges Cooperation (CTGC) in an interview to thepaper.cn.

More public attention went to the Three Gorges Dam this year amid the background of more rainfall, and flood prevention has become a primary task.

Wang Hai, head of the Construction and Operation Administrative Bureau of CTGC, said that they have made plans to cope with a possible major flood, adding that the water level of the reservoir now is kept at one to two meters lower compared with that in the same period of previous years.

“We are confident that the dam can prevent a flood even as big as the one in 1998”, he added.

According to the information posted on the website of CTGC, the water level in the reservoir was lowered to 145.79 meters by 2 p.m. on June 5. The fluctuation target was achieved five days in advance. The general water level was down 28.77 meters, and 21.31 billion cubic meters of water was regressed. The Three Gorges Dam is now well prepared for a possible flood.

Statistics from the Changjiang Water Resources Commission indicate that the water level of the Three Gorges Reservoir was 145.33 meters at 8 p.m. on June 12. The reservoir outflow was larger than the inflow, and the water level was continuing to lower.

Wang explained that being affected by the El Nino phenomenon, the water coming into the reservoir this year may be 50% higher when compared with that taken in during the same period of previous years between the months of January and April.

It is estimated that a basin-wide flood may hit the Yangtze River from June to August, therefore the Three Gorges Dam could face the biggest challenge ever since its operation, he added.