Drought-hit Yangtze River sections being replenished by reservoirs

Reservoirs will continue to replenish the water supply in the section of the Yangtze River affected by drought to ensure the irrigation of crops and urban water supplies.

It is estimated that the Yangtze River basin will still see a lack of rainfall in mid- and late September, so the water inflow to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake will continue to be low, the Ministry of Water Resources said Monday.

The reservoirs in the upper and middle reaches of China's longest river, the Dongting Lake water system and Poyang Lake water system will discharge water into the lower reaches, the ministry said.

The ministry formulated a drought-relief scheme jointly with the Changjiang Water Resources Commission and local water resources authorities of Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan.

Since July, most areas of the Yangtze River basin have experienced high temperatures, and there has been 45 percent less rainfall than the average for recent years.