Eastern Chinese city braces for flood

More than 40 miles (70km) of dykes are close to overflowing in a city in eastern China, the country\'s flood authority said on Monday, a day after a senior official warned a critical point had been reached in battling seasonal floods. Heavy rains pounded Zhejiang province over the weekend and the level of a river that passes through Lanxi city has risen sharply, said Zhao Fayuan, deputy director of the flood control headquarters. The level of the Lanjiang river has hit 110 feet (34m), the highest since 1966, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Several sections of the dykes in Lanxi city are barely holding, Zhao said. More than 20,000 people could be affected if the dykes are breached, he said. The country\'s flood control headquarters advised Lanxi officials to relocate residents near the dykes that are at risk of overflowing, and to repair them immediately. Flooding in eastern and southern China this month has triggered landslides, cut off power and telecommunications and left more than 180 people dead or missing. Another five people were killed on Sunday and one remains missing after surging floodwaters swept them away in their south-western villages, Xinhua said. China\'s minister for water resources said on Sunday the country was entering a crucial period as severe floods triggered by heavy rains threaten southern areas. It is likely that more frequent and more intense downpours will continue, Chen Lei told a meeting in Beijing to discuss flood-control measures, Xinhua reported. He urged local authorities to improve weather forecasting and ensure dykes, reservoirs and dams are safe. However, while the deadly flooding continues, a persistent drought is plaguing five provinces in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze river. It has left 630,000 people without safe drinking water and affected 11.9m acres (4.8m hectares) of farmland, Chen said. From / Guardian