Areas throughout the country, already reeling from cyclones, downpours, floods and ensuing disasters, are in for further punishment with more rain forecast this week.

The National Meteorological Centre yesterday issued warnings of torrential rains in many provinces and municipalities across North, Northeast, Central, East and Southwest China. "Heavy rains and rainstorms will pound parts of Heilongjiang, Liaoning and Jilin provinces in Northeast China, and Hebei Province, Beijing and Tianjin in North China," it warned.

Affected by Sanvu, the year's 10th typhoon, and the summer monsoon, rainstorms will sweep South, East, Central and Southwest China including the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hunan, Hubei, Shandong, Henan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces and Chongqing Municipality from today. Three died and three went missing in Hubei's Mudanjiang.

Weather forecasters have urged authorities in mountainous areas to prepare for disasters, such as mud-rock flows and landslides.

At least 10 people were killed by floods with 35 still missing yesterday in Liaoning, a source with the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.

Floods triggered by heavy rains over the past week hit 31 counties and cities in the province and affected more than 2.3 million people with 341,000 evacuated, he said.

The disaster destroyed about 30,000 houses with direct economic losses amounting to 2.31 billion yuan (US$284 million).

Local governments have earmarked 40 million yuan (US$4.9 million) for the rescue and relief operation, he added.

Heavy rains, Liaoning's worst in 10 years, have swelled the Liaohe, Hunhe, and Taize rivers and triggered the highest water levels in reservoirs for 20 years, according to the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

"Fortunately, the damage has been mitigated as all the reservoirs were put into full operation to hold or regulate water from the swollen rivers," Zhang Zhitong, an official from the headquarters said.

(China Daily August 16, 2005)