China warns of floods in southern regions

BEIJING, June 10 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Water Resources warned on Monday that many small and medium-sized rivers in the country's southern regions could see floods exceeding alert levels due to heavy downpours over the next few days.

Rivers in Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hunan, among other regions, could swell as heavy rainfalls are expected to lash parts of southwest China, south China, and the regions south of the Yangtze River from Tuesday to Saturday, according to the ministry.

The ministry is making arrangements to prevent and respond to rainstorms and floods, while local water resources authorities are strengthening precautions and response efforts, especially in construction sites and tourist attractions.

The water resources ministry and the China Meteorological Administration issued a yellow alert for mountain torrents Sunday evening in some parts of the country, the third most severe level in the four-tier weather alarm system, warning that mountain torrents are quite likely to hit some areas in Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi.