The administration of China's longest river Yangtze issued an
emergency warning on Wednesday, reminding cargo ships to avoid
being stranded in the low water due to the lingering dry
season.
Since November, the average water level in the middle reaches
has decreased by 1.5 meters than normal, mainly because of less
rainfall in the dry season, according to Yangtze River
Administration under the Ministry of Transportation.
More than 10 ships have been stranded in the section that mainly
encompasses Yichang, Wuhan, Jingzhou of Hubei Province and
Jiujiang, Hukou of the neighboring Jiangxi Province, over the past
month.
Every cargo ship must undergo weight checks at eight harbors in
Yichang City, the start of the middle reaches of the river, and
unload excessive goods before continuing the voyage, according to a
circular issued by Yichang Maritime Bureau in succession to the
warning.
An average of 170 cargo ships will navigate along the route
every day.
The administration has sent off a number of dredgers to dig out
silt in the river and ships are called on to pay attention to
safety while passing through the section.
The Yangtze, China's longest river which stretches 6,300 km,
suffers a dry season between November and April. This is followed
by a spring flood.
Usually, the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydropower
project, built between the upper and middle reaches of the river,
will unleash water reserves to alleviate the drought or hold up
floods before they inundate downstream regions.
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(Xinhua News Agency December 6, 2007)
