Abstract: The aim of this research is to enhance the risk prevention and treatment of water pollution emergencies and to ensure the water environment safety in the Three Gorges Reservoir area of the Yangtze River. The spatiotemporal distribution and occurrence characteristics of sudden water pollution incidents in the recent decade are statistically analyzed based on collected data of 165 environmental emergencies in Chongqing from 2009 to 2018. Results reveal that water pollution emergency is the major type of environmental emergencies in Chongqing, accounting for 83.6%. The number of water emergency displays a trend of fluctuation and decline. Water pollution emergencies mainly happened in the nine districts of the main urban area and the surrounding districts/counties of Chongqing, while infrequently in the southeastern and northeastern districts/counties of Chongqing. Among the six major river networks in Chongqing, 84.8% of the total water pollution incidents occurred in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and Jialing River. The major inducing factors of water pollution emergencies are road traffic accidents, equipment failure and improper operation in the form of toxic and harmful substances leaking into the water. The most frequent pollutants are oils, waste water, organics, acids, alkalis, liquid ammonia and water reducers admixture.

Key words: water pollution emergencies, spatiotemporal distribution, Yangtze River, oil pollutants, Chongqing