The Three Gorges Reservoir on Saturday recorded its largest flood peak since the beginning of 2025, with inflows exceeding 40,000 cubic meters per second for the first time this year, due to autumn rains in Western China.
The water level at Wanzhou District of Chongqing in southwest China, a key point on the Three Gorges (Qutang, Wuxia and Xiling Gorges) of the Yangtze River, rose to 167.4 meters by 12:00 on Sunday. The rising waters have submerged a local riverside market, but no casualties or property losses were reported thanks to early warnings and timely evacuations.
According to the Changjiang Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources and China Three Gorges Corporation, inflows from the upper Yangtze River remained below average for most of the summer.
From July to August, total inflow into the Three Gorges Reservoir was over 20 percent lower than the historical average for the same period since its construction.
Affected by autumn rains in Western China at the end of the flood season, the Jialing River and the Three Gorges region in the upper Yangtze River have experienced several rounds of rainfall. As a result, inflows to the reservoir have gradually increased since September 17.
Three Gorges Dam sees largest flood peak of this year amid autumn rain
The European Union is facing the risk of a stagflationary shock as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is driving up energy prices and clouding the economic outlook, European Commissioner for Economy Valdis Dombrovskis said on Monday.
The European Commission's spring 2026 economic forecast, to be released later this week, will see economic growth figures adjusted down and inflation figures up, said Dombrovskis during an interview while attending a meeting of finance ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) in Paris.
With the Strait of Hormuz closed and oil prices staying above 100 U.S. dollars per barrel, fears of stagflation have risen in recent weeks, said Dombrovskis, adding that the margin of action by policymakers is "more limited" now.
The commissioner said it's important that the bloc take temporary, targeted support measures rather than measures that sustain high demand for fossil fuels.
Dombrovskis also described the EU's release of strategic oil reserves as "ongoing," while warning of concerns about shortages in areas such as innovative fuels.
The International Energy Agency Executive Director, Fatih Birol, said on Monday that commercial oil stocks are declining "rapidly", with several weeks of supply left due to the consequences of the conflict in the Middle East.
Europe could face fuel shortages by the end of this month.
EU at risk of stagflation amid Middle East conflict: commissioner
