More than 600 people are carrying out round-the-clock patrols of dikes along the Yangtze River in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, as the water level of the country's longest river rises.

The water level was 24.17 meters on Sunday, the highest this year, and was approaching the 25-meter line that marks the need to start implementing flood control plans, according to the Wuhan flood control headquarters.

The water level of three major medium-sized rivers in the city surpassed their danger lines on Sunday because of continuous rain.

The level of the Daoshui River was 29.20 meters, 1.2 meter above the danger line. The figure was 29.6 meters at the Jushui River, 60 cm above the danger level and 28.18 meters at the Fuhuan River, 2.18 meters above the danger line.

Torrential rains had been lashing the province since Thursday, leaving four people dead and three others missing.

The rain had affected the lives of 4.07 million people and destroyed crops in 35 counties across the province, a spokesman for the provincial civil affairs department said on Saturday.

(Xinhua News Agency September 1, 2008)