China swings into flood defenses as 97 rivers exceed warning levels Shan Jie Published: May 27, 2021 08:14 PM Photo taken on July 18, 2020 shows the Three Gorges Dam opening the floodgates to discharge the floodwater on the Yangtze River in central China's Hubei Province. Photo:Xinhua China has swung into gear to fortify its flood-defense network ahead of what may be a heavy flood season, with 97 rivers across the country having already exceeded warning levels as of Thursday. Observers said the Three Gorges project will be able to handle greater flooding than last year, so there's no need to hype the "deformation theory." Along the Yangtze River basin, 47 reservoirs have been prepared to relieve floods, with a total flood control capacity of 69.5 billion cubic meters. Most of these reservoirs have been discharged to full levels, Wang Wei, an official with the flood and drought disaster prevention office of the Ministry of Water Resources, told state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) on Thursday.