China's Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest water control and hydroelectric project, is integrating digital technologies with its flood control system to ensure swift and effective emergency responses, safeguarding downstream communities during extreme weather events. Hailed as a symbol of China's hydraulic engineering prowess, the Three Gorges Dam in central China's Hubei began to take shape in 1994 and was put into operation to generate power in 2003.
Beyond generating electricity, the Three Gorges Dam has also played a critical role in flood control. The massive concrete structure was built at the junction of the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the third longest river in the world, to safeguard flood-prone regions.
"Since the Three Gorges Reservoir began storing water in 2003 and up until September 2024, it has intercepted floods nearly 70 times, diverting over 220 billion cubic meters of water and effectively protecting downstream areas," said Gong Wenting, an engineer from the China Three Gorges Corporation.
Moreover, the need for rapid and effective responses has grown increasingly urgent as extreme weather events becoming more frequent in recent years.
To better predict water conditions, the Three Gorges Corporation has developed one of the largest telemetry system in China to gather real-time data.
"Our system collects and analyzes data from over 1,600 hydrological stations and more than 20,000 meteorological sites, covering nearly 80 percent of the Yangtze's upper basin. Within just 10 minutes, we can gather critical information from key stations and reservoirs, providing essential support for forecasting and decision-making," said Shu Weimin, an employee from China Yangtze Power, a joint stock limited company established by the China Three Gorges Corporation.
In 2020, an advanced rainfall estimation and forecasting system for the Yangtze River Basin was developed by the company. It features a spatial resolution of up to five kilometers and a temporal resolution of three hours, with forecasts extending up to 10 days, according to Shu.
To enhance flood forecasting and control operations, the Three Gorges project also plans to integrate cutting-edge technologies like "digital twin" simulations based on constantly changing data collected from the real environment through sensors.
China's Three Gorges Dam boosts emergency response with digital integration
China's Three Gorges Dam boosts emergency response with digital integration
