Photo taken on July 19, 2020 shows floodwater being discharged from the Three Gorges Dam in central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

The Enshi government in Central China's Hubei Province on Tuesday urged local residents to prepare for evacuation as the upper reaches of the Qingjiang River are at risk of dam-breaking and flooding at any time.

The Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture government posted on its Weibo account on Tuesday that a landslide in the upper reaches of the Qingjiang River resulted in a barrier lake, posing risks of a dam-break and flooding at any time. 

The government asked local residents not to walk along the banks of the Qingjiang River, and prepare for evacuation in response to an instant dam break. The exact evacuation time will be arranged by the local flood control and drought relief center.

Enshi raised its emergency response for flood control to level I, the highest in a four-tier emergency response system on Friday, after the city was engulfed by torrential rains that saw vehicles being washed away and multiple roads blocked in the downtown area. 

Global Times