Vice Premier Hui Liangyu on Saturday inspected the high-risk sections of the Yangtze River and its tributaries to make sure all anti-flooding precaution efforts on the river have been properly implemented as meteorologists forecasted heavy rain in south China in the days to come.

Hui, also the commander-in-chief for the nation's fight against flooding and drought, visited the banks of major tributaries of the Yangtze River in Hubei and Hunan provinces.

In addition, he visited several villages in east Jiangxi Province that suffered massive landslides after exceptionally heavy rain in the past few days.

"We have an abnormal climate this year, which is shown in extremely unbalanced geographical distribution of precipitation in the past months."

He warned that the possibility of flooding in the Yangtze River and its tributaries was "comparatively high," therefore provinces along the river, particularly those with big reservoirs, should rapidly make full preparations against flooding and related disasters.

"The overriding task for the government is to try all out to keep the safety of major rivers, key reservoirs and strategic facilities along the river," Hui said.

He urged local governments to arrange not only logistics but also anti-flooding expertise in their respective contingency plans.

(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2008)