China has ordered workers and soldiers to strengthen levies in southern
China, as forecasters warn that more than 40 rivers are exceeding their
warning levels.
State meteorologists say more rain is expected
in the coming days, where floods have already killed at least 171
people this year.
Torrential rains have battered eastern and
southern China during the past week, and forced about 1.3 million
others to flee their homes. Chinese officials say that while summer
flooding has become a regular event, some areas have received record
amounts of rainfall.
Officials say there is also a forecast of flooding along the Yellow River, which runs through northern China.
The
prosperous southern province of Guangdong has been the hardest hit in
recent days. China's official Xinhua news agency says rains have
killed at least 20 people there. Xinhua says the flooding in the Pearl
River Delta is the worst in 50 years.
Rains in the delta have
washed away some roads and submerged farmland across nine provinces.
Many areas have been hit by landslides.
Television footage
shows people rowing boats in towns along the Xijiang River in southern
China. Sichuan province, which is still reeling from a May 12
earthquake, also has been affected by the heavy rains.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
