China's Three Gorges dam resists surging Yangtze floods

Water is discharged from the Three Gorges dam to lower the level in the upstream reservoir Photograph: Reuters

Floodwater is released from the Three Gorges dam Photograph: Cheng Min/AP

The rain this week was expected to increase the peak flow in the reservoir to around 70,000 cubic metres per second, considerably higher than the 50,000 figure recorded in 1998, when floods killed more than 4,000 people Photograph: Keystone/Rex Features

Floodwater is released Photograph: Cheng Min/AP

The Three Gorges dam used 16m tonnes of concrete in its construction, which cost $24bn Photograph: Reuters

In preparation for the deluge this week, hydroengineers have been sluicing water out of the reservoir at an accelerated rate to make space for the expected downpour Photograph: Reuters

China is buffeted by rainstorms and typhoons every summer. Last month, southern provinces were lashed by unusually fierce floods that killed more than 200 people and forced the relocation of 2.4 million others Photograph: Keystone/Rex Features

A villager casts a net for fish at the quiet part of the river surface in Yichang. 1.2 million people were displaced in the years before the dam was built Photograph: KeystoneUSA-ZUMA / Rex Features/Rex Features