Jiangsu ensures shipping safety along Great Canal

Waterway Management Bureau of Great Canal in North Jiangsu Province, a unit of the Jiangsu Department of Transport, held a video conference on the afternoon of July 15 to coordinate flood control and ensure safety of shipping along the critical waterway.

Great Canal in North Jiangsu Province links Huaihe River and Yangtze River and connects with many lakes including Weishan, Luoma, Hongze and Gaoyou to form a wide, important waterway network with shipping service reaching 12 provinces and Shanghai. As a result, the canal section is a comprehensive waterway integrating the functions of shipping, flood control, irrigation, and south-north water transfer.

The 400-km section, with a water height difference of 31 meters, includes 28 modern lock gates to serve nearly 40,000 ships a year. The traffic along this section accounted for 40 percent of the total waterborne transportation system in Jiangsu, a sign of its important role in the province’s economic development.

Due to the recent flood in the Yangtze River, Taihu Lake and Huaihe River area, the section has decided to released water, which also created new problems including the rapid currents and reverse seepage. The bureau has implemented many measures of the Jiangsu Department of Transport in a timely manner to ensure safety and effective flood response.