Rainstorms continued to lash parts of China yesterday, affecting almost 1 million people, disrupting traffic and putting reservoirs at risk.

About 1,880 homes were flooded as the rains hit Zhejiang Province and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

In Zhejiang, more than 930,000 people were affected, 70,000 hectares of crops destroyed, production at 286 factories brought to a halt, and 115 roads closed, officials said.

As of 5 AM yesterday, water at five reservoirs in the province had risen above the warning level. Preliminary estimates put losses at 860 million yuan (US$124 million).

In Guangxi, one person died, 920,000 were affected, 1,000 homes were flooded, 40,000 hectares of crops were destroyed, 149 roads were closed, and 20 reservoirs were damaged. Damage to power lines and irrigation facilities was also reported.

In Jiangxi Province, precipitation in the past three days had exceeded 300 mm in three counties and 200 mm in 43 others. Five small reservoirs are at risk. Some low-lying areas in Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi, remain flooded, disrupting traffic.

A notice issued on Tuesday by the city's education department instructed all schools in Nanchang to close if necessary to ensure the safety of teachers and students.

In the province's Jingdezhen city, 6,680 people were relocated on Tuesday when 640 homes were inundated.

The water level of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in Anhui province has continued to rise, but authorities said the flood risk was low.

The National Meteorological Center has forecast more rain for Jiangsu, quake-hit Sichuan, Hunan, Anhui, Zhejiang and Shanghai in the next few days.

(Xinhua News Agency June 12, 2008)