Central China's Hunan Declares Flood Alert

A flood alert was declared Thursday for central China's Hunan Province, situated on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

Heavy storms pounded most of this central Chinese province on June 20 and 21, driving up the water level in three major local rivers to an alarming level, according to local sources.

By 8 a.m. June 21, the water level of the Yangtze River monitored at Chenglingji, located on Dongting Lake of Hunan, was 28.95 meters, 1.68 meters higher than average for the same period of previous years.

More concentrated areas of rain are expected in the province in late June, according to weather forecasts.

The Hunan government issued a circular urging the Party and government officials at local levels to go to the front-line areas and to supervise flood-control efforts.

The circular also urged that patrols be increased on reservoirs and lakes, relief materials be collected, and a task force formed in case of a flood emergency.

Measures should also be taken to prevent and combat landslides in mountainous regions, it said.



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