Local authorities in parts of China have intensified precautionary measures including increasing patrols and preparing for possible evacuations to ensure the safety of residents as water levels of several rivers exceeded warning lines following continuous heavy rains.
Central China's Hubei Province on Friday upgraded its flood emergency response to Level III.
As of Saturday afternoon, the water levels at 611 reservoirs across Hubei have exceeded their warning lines.
"The water level will continue to rise. In order to ease the pressure of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the Three Gorges Reservoir has also reduced outflow since Friday early morning, which is about 12,700 cubic meters per second now," said Chen Jing, deputy director of the Hydrological Bureau of the Yangtze River Water Resources Commission in Hankou.
In Gongan County, Jingzhou City of Hubei, the local government has activated flood emergency response plan and dispatched personnel to keep areas prone to waterlogging under watch and ensure possible floods are timely dealt with.
"We have constantly patrolled around low-lying area that are prone to waterlogging, cleared rainwater pipes, and maximized the capacity of all the ditches and rivers in the urban area," said Cui Xiaoyang, deputy director of the county's Urban Operation Coordination and Command Center.
In Zongyang County, Tongling City of east China's Anhui Province, the average precipitation has surpassed 59 millimeters, with the highest precipitation exceeding 98 millimeters.
The heavy rains, combined with the increasing water from the upstream, have raised the water level of the local section of the Yangtze River -- China's longest river -- to 15.03 meters as of Sunday morning, which is 0.33 meters higher than the warning line.
Tongling also upgraded its flood emergency response to Level III on Saturday night.
The local authorities have formed a 1,200-strong team from the water resources, emergence response and river governance departments to patrol along the embankment.
In the meantime, as many as 4,600 residents in river islands and waterfront areas are all prepared for evacuation, which will start as soon as the water levels at local sections of the Yangtze River reach a certain line.
In east China's Jiangxi Province, the water levels at seven key hydrological stations have exceeded warning lines as of Sunday morning.
The provincial meteorological observatory forecasts there will be further rainfall in northern Jiangxi through Tuesday, with some areas expecting rainstorms and severe convective weather, such as thunderstorms and gales.
China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the most urgent response.
Rainstorm-hit regions take precautions after river water levels exceed warning lines
