Recently, in order to meet the peak demand for irrigation water for crops in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, CYPC has continued to increase the outflow of the Three Gorges Reservoir following the scheduling instructions issued by the Changjiang Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources (CWRC). As of May 15th, the daily outflow of the Three Gorges Reservoir has gradually increased from 8,390 m3/s to around 12,000 m3/s.

Influenced by climate conditions, the precipitation in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River has been 27% lower than the long-term average since the beginning of this year, putting significant pressure on agricultural water security. As an important water source regulation project in the Yangtze River Basin, the Three Gorges Reservoir has been operating with an average daily outflow of no less than 7,000 m3/s since the start of this round of dry season water replenishment scheduling on December 1, 2024. As of May 14th, it has cumulatively replenished 8.4 billion m3 of water to the middle and lower reaches.

Previously, under the guidance of CWRC, CYPC has implemented a round of water replenishment scheduling for irrigation from April 8th to April 14th, increasing the daily outflow of the Three Gorges Reservoir to about 10,000 m3/s. At 8:00 am on May 15th, the water level in the Three Gorges Reservoir reached 157.7m, which was 2.55m higher than the same period last year, providing favorable conditions for a new round of irrigation-oriented water replenishment scheduling.

Data shows that since the trial impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir in 2008, it has cumulatively replenished over 360 billion m3 of water downstream, effectively alleviating the water demand for daily life, production, shipping, and ecological management of the people along the Yangtze River. It has also provided important support for water resource management in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, becoming a "water resource bank" for impoundment and replenishment in wet and dry occasions, respectively.

Next, CYPC will closely monitor changes in water and rainfall regimes, continuously track upstream water inflow and water consumption in the middle and lower reaches, and coordinate flood control and drawdown needs according to the unified scheduling of national competent authorities, providing solid support for flood control, drought resistance, and power supply guarantee in 2025.