This footage was filmed and produced 17 August 2022.

The Three Gorges Reservoir is seen after a thunderstorm in Yichang, Hubei province, China, Aug 17, 2022.

The Three Gorges Reservoir has been ordered to supply water to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River from 12 am on August 16 to cope with the effects of high temperatures and drought, according to the Yangtze River Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources.

According to preliminary estimates, about 500 million cubic meters of water will be added to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in the next five days as the Three Gorges Reservoir continues to leak. After the operation, the water level of the Three Gorges Reservoir will be equalized daily from the current level of about 147.2 meters to be controlled at least 146 meters on August 21.

During the period of water replenishment from the Three Gorges reservoir to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, water replenishment operation of cascade reservoirs in the lower reaches of the Jinsha River is also carried out at the same time, which can increase water replenishment by about 300 million cubic meters.