China lowered flood emergency response level on July 30 from Level II to Level III, the third-highest in its four-tier system.

The Three Gorges Dam in Yichang, Central China's Hubei Province (Photo: People's Daily)

Water projects have played a major role over the past month in tackling flood challenges.

A photo taken on July 20 shows the Dujiangyan irrigation system controlling the flow of water and discharging excess floodwater into the outer canal in Southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo: People's Daily)

The Three Gorges Reservoir has effectively withheld floods along the Yangtze River, with the Three Gorges Dam opening its three lower floodgates to discharge floodwater.

The Xinan River Reservoir, an important flood control project in the upper reaches of the Qiantang River, opened all nine of its spillways to lower the crest of floods.

A photo taken on July 19 shows a flood peak passing the Wuxia Gorge in Badong County, Central China's Hubei Province. On the same day, the second flood of China's Yangtze River this year, also the largest, smoothly passes through the Three Gorges Dam. (Photo: People's Daily)

The projects minimized the flood damage by intercepting, managing and discharging floodwater.

Since the flood season began this year, thousands of reservoirs across China have intercepted and stored 105.6 billion cubic meters of floodwater as of July 31, keeping 854 cities, towns and 1.75 million hectares of farmland from getting flooded and preventing 17.65 million people from becoming displaced.

A photo taken on July 11 shows construction of the Qianjiadong Reservoir underway in Central China's Hunan Province. (Photo: cpanet.cn)

The Three Gorges Reservoir and other reservoirs along the Yangtze River have managed to lower the water levels in the middle and lower reaches, easing the pressure on flood response.

Water gushes out the open spillways of the Xinan River Reservoir in East China's Zhejiang Province on July 9. (Photo: cpanet.cn)

(Compiled by Liu Xiaochi)