Threat of floods over next few days draws warning

Minister advises checks of repaired works that haven't yet faced real test

China's national weather observatory issued a blue alert on Sunday, the lowest in a four-tier weather warning system, for rainstorms in the central and eastern parts of the country in coming days, after recent floods in Guangdong province brought direct economic losses of 39 million yuan ($5.7 million).

It was the third consecutive day that the National Meteorological Center issued a blue alert. China has a four-tier color-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.