In 1998, a flood in the same area caused billions of dollars in damage; of farmland were flooded. The flood affected more than 2.3 million people, killing 1,526. In early August 2009, the largest flood in five years passed through the dam site. The dam limited the water flow to less than per second, raising the upstream water level from on August 1, 2009, to on August 8, 2009. A full of flood water was captured and the river flow was cut by as much as per second.