The 2026 joint water drill to deal with dangerous rock collapse in the Three Gorges Reservoir area was held today

On November 13, the "2026 Joint Water Exercise to Respond to Dangerous Rock Collapses in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area" was held in the Quduizi waters of the Yunyang section of the Yangtze River in Chongqing. With the theme of "Smoothing the Golden Waterways and Protecting the Peace of the River", this drill involved 39 units, 40 boats, 26 drones, and more than 500 people. It was the largest joint water emergency response drill for dangerous rock collapse in the Three Gorges Reservoir area.

The Three Gorges Reservoir area is one of the areas with the most intensive geological disasters and the heaviest prevention and control tasks in my country. The dangerous rock disaster spots in the reservoir area are wide-ranging, highly concealed, and sudden. Once they collapse into the river, rockfalls and surges may directly threaten the lives and property of navigation ships, dock workers, and people along the coast. The drill simulated the situation of dangerous rock collapse, focused on the two key areas of "water travelers and waterway safety", and benchmarked the actual needs of emergency response to geological disasters in the Three Gorges Reservoir area. The emergency rescue forces of all parties work together to carry out rescue operations, control out-of-control ships, clear oil spills on the water surface, salvage fallen vehicles, etc., covering the entire chain of disposal processes from personnel evacuation to waterway restoration.

The relevant person in charge of the China Shipping Bureau said that this drill focuses on deepening the central and local linkage and the coordinated response mechanism of departments, enhancing the comprehensive response capabilities in extreme situations, and improving the actual rescue level of water emergencies. Through the actual combat drill, it fully demonstrates the construction results of the water transportation emergency rescue system and the advantages of the Yangtze River trunk water search and rescue that combines departments, specialties, and collaborative operations. It reflects the firm determination of the China Shipping Bureau system and Chongqing City to build a solid Three Gorges land disaster prevention line and keep the Yangtze River safe, green, smooth, and efficient.

The drill focused on displaying a number of new technologies and equipment such as three-dimensional search, deep-water rescue, intelligent decision-making, unmanned operations, oil spill disposal, and channel clearance. Among them, the simulation of passenger bus crashing into the river and dangerous rock collapse scenarios, AI intelligent agent-assisted water emergency rescue decision-making, and powered boat bridges participating in the transfer of personnel in dangerous water traffic situations were all conducted for the first time, reflecting the obvious progress of digitalization, intelligence, and specialization in the field of water emergency response in the reservoir area.