Ministry alerts northern China to possible flood risk

Heavy rains in southern and eastern China also causing Yangtze, other rivers to swell visibly

Flood prevention in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province has been beefed up as the water levels of 17 rivers in the province and elsewhere in eastern China have exceeded warning levels, the Ministry of Water Resources said.

The ministry has maintained a Level 3 emergency response since floods on June 21, with Level 1 being the most severe. Six working groups have been sent to Heilongjiang province, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region and East China's Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces.

The heavy rains that began to affect the Yangtze River region, southwestern and southern China on Saturday will continue for the next two days according to the National Meteorological Center.

The ministry said the rain is expected to cause the Heilong River in Heilongjiang province to rise slowly, and the Yangtze River and rivers leading from Poyang, Dongting and Taihu lakes to swell visibly.

By Sunday, the peak water level at one Heilong River hydrologic station exceeded the warning level by 4.8 meters, the highest recorded level in more than 75 years according to the Heilongjiang Center for Hydrology and Water Resources.

Ning Fanggui, an official with the ministry's Songhua and Liaohe Rivers Water Resource Committee, told thepaper.cn that water levels in Heilongjiang are more than embankments can handle.

"This year, flooding in northeastern China is heavier and a month earlier than normal due to frequent and heavy rainfall," he was quoted as saying.

The ministry said authorities in the Northeast China region should operate in a controlled, scientific manner, and step up patrols to prevent possible flood damage.