As of the morning of August 19, the water levels of the Jialing River at Ciqikou Station exceeded the safety line by 6.95 meters, Caiyuanba Station by 5.77 meters, and Cuntan Station by 5.44 meters. Chongqing is now under the siege of floods on the Jialing River and the Yangtze River. The water levels of some districts and counties along the two rivers have significantly risen above safety levels, a large proportion of roads, shops, and residential buildings have been flooded, and landmark areas like Ciqikou, Chaotianmen, and Nanbin Road have become a place for "ocean view."

Rescue team evacuating people trapped in the Nanbin Road, Nanan District.

Where there is a flood, there is an immediate rescue. An emergency rescue operation is currently being carried out in Chongqing's streets and alleys inundated with water.

A bird's eye view of the Hechuan Diaoyu Fortress in flood.

At the convergence of the Fujiang River, Qujiang River, and Jialing River, Hechuan District's flood control measures are under extreme pressure due to the widened surface of rivers. "A flood warning was issued on the 15th, and the flood peak struck this city on the 19th. In only four days, the water level of the Jialing River in Hechuan rose from 203.5 meters to 212.2 meters, an increase of nearly 9 meters," Tang Qiang, Deputy Director of the Water Conservancy Bureau of Hechuan District, said. And to ensure the safety of the residents, Hechuan District has relocated over 80,000 people to safer places.

At the forefront of the fight against the flood, streets along the rivers were almost all covered in water. In addition to sending specialists to keep people off the cordon lines, the local government also dispatched various assault boats and rubber dinghies to rescue and evacuate those trapped in the flooded areas.

A rescue team is rescuing an old woman to the assault boat.

In the Diaoyu Fortress Sub-district, 84-year-old resident Yang Xuejun wouldn't let go of the firefighter's hand and kept saying "thank you" when getting off the assault boat after being rescued.

Yang and his family lived on the fifth floor; they didn't take it seriously at first but soon got into a panic when the first floor was inundated. "We hurried to call the community cadres for help in the morning, and within an hour, the rescue team arrived in an assault boat and picked up my whole family," said Yang.

A drone view of the Hechuan city proper in the flood.

Moments after rescuing Yang's family, firefighters received orders to transfer a 90-year-old woman in the neighborhood, who was unable to walk and desperately in need of help.

The rescue team arrived at the old woman's building and found that half of the first floor had already been flooded, and their assault boat couldn't get through. One fireman jumped into the water without hesitation and swam to the stairwell to fetch her. After getting her dressed in a life vest, he carried her back to the rubber dinghy with his arms.

Armed police officers dragging a trolley of sandbags through the water.

Xu Yang, leader of the Water Rescue Platoon of Hechuan District People's Armed Force Department, participated in the rescue and relief work at Diaoyu Fortress Sub-district and had no rest for several days. Xu broke his head the other day when assisting people in transferring possessions and got three stitches. He told the reporter, with the tape on his head: "We will not retreat until floodwaters recede. We will protect people." At that time, Xu just carried a baby to a safe place.

Nan'an, Jiangbei, and Banan Districts, located at the conjuncture of the Yangtze River and Jialing River, also face mounting pressures in flood control. Fisherman's Bay Wharf beside the Jialing River is a key part of that task in Jiangbei District.

A drone view of the Nanbin Road, Nan'an District during the flood.

The pier stands between the rising water and warehouses and shops of aquatic products covering over 30,000 square meters. Although people working in the 150 some shops have already been relocated, the task to stop the water from flowing into the area and minimize the property loss of shop owners is still a challenging job.

Rescue workers carried sandbags to heighten and reinforce the water retaining dam at the Wharf. Emergency and fire departments sent at least 20 pumping equipment for 24-hour drainage.

Fan Yuandong, deputy director of Jiangbei District Commission of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, received early warnings about flood situations regularly. He said: "I need to keep an eye on the change of water levels outside the wharf and giving hourly updates to people at the site."

Workers are filling sandbags in the Fisherman's Bay Wharf.

According to the latest update, the water level at the Cuntan hydrometric station peaked on the morning of August 20, about nine meters above the safety line, and Ciqikou hydrometric station on the evening of August 20, about ten meters above safety line.

Facing the great challenge, all rescue teams of Chongqing are still fighting at the front.