China maintains Level-IV emergency flood response for five provinces

BEIJING -- The Ministry of Water Resources said on Tuesday that it has maintained a Level-IV emergency flood response for Sichuan province and Chongqing municipality, both in Southwest China, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces in the northwest, and Heilongjiang province in the northeast.

From Monday morning to Tuesday morning, rainfall and upstream inflows pushed water levels above warning levels on 19 rivers across the country, with the highest excess reaching 0.35 meters.

Based on rainfall forecasts, the ministry issued early warning notices to 14 provincial-level regions, including Central China's Henan and Hubei provinces, urging enhanced safety measures for reservoir operations, flood prevention along small and medium-sized rivers, and protection against flash floods.

China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe.