Flood control authorities along middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China's longest river, are keeping watch to prevent likely flood disasters following nearly a month of continuous rainfall.
Central China's Hunan and Hubei provinces and East China's Jiangxi Province have been heavily hit by the consecutive rain since the beginning of April and some tributaries of China's longest river have risen higher than their respective "alert riverlevel".
At the Jiujiang monitoring station by the Yangtze River in eastChina's Jiangxi province, the water level has been rising for 29 consecutive days where it is only 2 meters below the local "alert"line.
Provincial authorities are preparing to relocate residents living in regions where flooding is likely to cause heavy damage.
The central government and major river monitoring authorities across the nation all have kept a close watch on flood control andassistance.
At a recent conference of the country's top flood and drought control and prevention authorities, Vice-Premier Wen Jiabao urged all areas to make full preparations for this year's flood season.
Cai Qihua, deputy general commander of the Yangtze River Flood Control Headquarters, based in Hubei Province, required all local authorities, armed forces and residents in the river's valley to be fully briefed on this year's flood situation, according to the English newspaper.
( May 17, 2002)
