Dangerous continuous rains cause ministry to strengthen multiple measures

Torrential rains that have lasted since Friday have made water levels in 22 rivers in the southern part of the country swell above their danger marks as of Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

Two of the rivers were hit by the severest floods on record, it said in a media release on Tuesday.

Jiangxi province was the worst hit. According to the province's flood control and drought relief headquarters, 536,000 people in the province were affected by this round of downpours from Friday to 4:30 pm on Monday, with 16,000 people urgently evacuated, the ministry said.

The round of heavy rainfalls had ended in Jiangxi on Monday, but a new round of torrential rains are forecast to affect the province and some other regions in southern China from Wednesday to Saturday.

The coming precipitation is expected to swell nine rivers in Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces, as well as the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, it said.

The water levels in some small and medium-sized rivers in Guangxi and Guangdong may exceed their danger marks, it said.

Wang Wei, an official with the ministry's department of flood and drought control, said the ministry will strengthen forecasting, warning, simulation and emergency response to cope with the situation.

The ministry will also beef up consultation and judgment. Measures will be rolled out to ensure that warning information and consultation decisions are immediately sent to the front line of flood control, the official said.