China vows to ramp up flood control, disaster relief work

BEIJING, June 10 (Xinhua) -- China will ramp up its flood control and disaster relief efforts as heavy rains have hit southern parts of the country, according to the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management.

Relevant government departments should issue early rainstorm warnings, prepare rescue forces and materials in advance, handle dangerous situations promptly, and evacuate people from dangerous areas in a timely manner, the two government bodies said.

More efforts should be made to bolster the prevention of and response to torrential flooding and the flooding of small and medium-sized rivers, and ensure the safety of small and medium-sized reservoirs.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Saturday said that it has launched a level-four emergency response to flooding.

Heavy rains triggered floods in parts of Beihai City of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Friday and affected some villages, but no casualties were reported.