The water level at Wangjiaba, a key hydrological station in the middle
reaches of the swollen Huaihe River, was rising again, while officials warned
that the river faced severe flood-control challenge.
The water level started to rise from 27.62 meters at 6pm yesterday, after
five days of decrease since last flood crest passed through the Wangjiaba
section. It was 27.64 meters at 9am today, above the danger line of 27.5 meters.
Hydrological experts with the Huaihe water resources commission said the
water level at Wangjiaba would not exceed 28.1 meters in the coming two days. It
would not keep rising for long as rains in the upper reaches of Huaihe River
were not heavy.
The experts said the rise of water level since Sunday was caused by the
influx for Hongru River and that people in the upper reaches were draining
flooded fields.
Dikes along Huaihe River, China's third longest, were at an increased risk of
breach in the near future, since they have soaked in high water level for three
weeks.
Authorities in east China's Anhui Province have found 517 places in the dikes
in dangerous condition by 3:00pm Friday, up from 502 places by Thursday. All the
places were repaired in time.
