Continuous downpours and flooding in the mid-upper sections of the Yangtze River, China's longest, has kept the water level rising in its middle and lower reaches, sources with hydrographic departments said on Friday.

According to Cheng Haiyun, general engineer of the Yangtze River Hydrological Bureau, unremitting rainstorms continued to pelt the western part of Hubei Province and Chongqing Municipality on Thursday and Friday.

The water level monitored at 8 AM Friday in Wuhan, in the middle reaches of the Yangtze, stood at 22.61 meters, up 0.36 meters over the same time Thursday. In Datong in the mid-lower reaches, the level rose up 0.14 meters to 10.29 meters.

The water influx to the Three Gorges Reservoir reached 34,200 cubic meters per second at 8 AM Friday and the water level of the reservoir rose to 144.02 meters.

Major Yangtze tributaries in the middle reaches, including Wujiang River, Qingjiang River and Hanjiang River all saw the water level rise between 8 AM Thursday and 8 AM Friday.

Rainfall is forecast in the same region for the next few days, and water levels in the Hankou and Datong stations are expected to rise to 23.65 and 11.25 meters by Saturday morning, according to Cheng.

(Xinhua News Agency June 23, 2007)