The flood control headquarters of central China's Hunan Province said on Thursday it had entered a critical stage with 15,000 government staff and 260,000 members of the public guarding dikes and sluice gates.

Rainstorms began to hit northwestern parts of the province on July 19 and 1.82 million people in Xiangxi and Zhangjiajie have so far been affected. About 870 kilometers of dikes are saturated by the dangerously high waters, according to officials with the headquarters.

More heavy rains were possibly imminent, the officials said. Southeastern parts of the province were likely to be affected by typhoons and might see mountain torrents and flooding in some areas.

However, eastern parts of Hunan are still suffering from a drought that started late last month, the officials added.

The headquarters has ordered local governments to be on high alert for possible floods.

Zhang Chunxian, Communist Party chief of Hunan, said flood control and drought relief were the priorities for officials in rural areas, and public safety must be ensured.

Meanwhile, the swollen Huaihe River, China's third longest river, entered a critical period on Tuesday.

Officials with east China's Jiangsu Province said dikes faced an increased risk of breaches after weeks of pressure from high water levels.

The officials estimated the level in the Jiangsu section of the Huaihe River would remain dangerously high for at least the next 10 days.

The Jiangsu provincial government has organized 150,000 people to patrol the dikes since the beginning of July. The province has invested 67 million yuan (US$8.8 million) in reinforcing 400 dikes.

(Xinhua News Agency July 27, 2007)