Rivers in the northwestern parts of central-south China's Hunan Province have been suffering torrential rains since Monday, increasing the flood-control pressure on Dongting Lake which links the Yangtze River.

Local hydrological stations recorded 128 millimeters of precipitation between 8:00 a.m. Monday and 2:00 p.m. Tuesday in the Lishui River valley, a branch of Dongting Lake which serves as an important water buffer at the middle reaches of the Yangtze. Torrential rains are continuing in the region, local weather department said.

Some hydrological stations have already reported flood crests approaching or above those seen during the most severe flooding of the Yangtze in 1998, according to the local flood control department.

Meanwhile, the Youshui River, a branch of the Yuanjiang River, a tributary of the Dongting, has also been placed on flood alert, with water levels exceeding the warning line.

In addition, the floodwater volume flowing through the Yichang hydrological station on the Yangtze River is expected to reach 40,000 cubic meters per second at 20:00 July 10. This floodwater is expected to converge with the flood crest from the Lishui River when the two meet at Dongting, China's second largest freshwater lake.

The flood control work at Dongting lake areas has become critical, said an official with the local flood control department. 　　

Zhangjiajie and Changde cities, as well as Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture in Hunan, have been badly hit by heavy rains, with parts of these areas cut off from potable water and electricity, and highways submerged by floodwater.

The provincial government has dispatched rescue teams to the flood-affected areas.

(Xinhua News Agency July 9, 2003)