A miracle on the Yangtze

The Three Gorges Dam, below, hit its peak water height of 574ft at 9am local time yesterday. The previous record was 567ft set in 2008, the year the generators began operating.

In the future, the water level will be adjusted depending on flood-control needs but kept within 100ft of the maximum.

While raising the water level increases the electricity production of the dam, some geologists have warned that penning up too much water in the reservoir carries a heightened risk of landslides, earthquakes and prolonged damage to the Yangtze river's ecology.

Three Gorges Project chairman Cao Guangjing called the feat a "historical milestone."

He said annual power generation will reach 84.7 billion kilowatt hours, enabling "the project to fulfil its functions of flood control, power generation, navigation and water diversion to the full."