CHINA BRACES FOR STORMS, FLOODS

BEIJING: A wide swath of southern China braced Sunday for more seasonal rains and flooding that state media said has already left more than 120 people dead or missing this year.

The National Meteorological Center raised the weather alert to yellow Sunday morning, the third highest of four warning levels, for more than half a dozen provinces and the cities of Shanghai and Chongqing. Heavy to torrential rains were forecast into Monday afternoon.

Footage on state broadcaster CCTV showed flooded streets and farmland in Anhui province. To the south in Jiangxi province, more than 8,000 people have been evacuated and 54 houses collapsed after rainstorms in recent days, the network said.

Nationwide, floodingrelated disasters have destroyed 17,000 homes, caused 41.6 billion yuan ($ 5.9 billion) in economic losses and left 121 people dead or missing so far this year, the official People’s

Daily newspaper said in a social media post, citing the Ministry of Emergency

Management.

The National Meteorological Center said some parts of Anhui, Hubei, Hunan and Zhejiang provinces could see 100 to 230 mm ( 4 to 9 inches) of rain. It also issued a yellow alert for rain in two northeastern provinces, Heilongjiang and Jilin.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Water Resources said water levels are rising in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake because of the sustained rainfall.

A total of 16 rivers in

Jiangxi and Anhui were struck by above- warninglevel floods on Saturday, the ministry said.

The ministry said it will carry out coordinated operation of reservoirs in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River to reduce the amount of water flowing into the Three Gorges Dam and relieve flood control pressure in the middle and lower reaches of the river.

Local authorities were urged to step up the monitoring of weather and patrolling of dikes, reservoirs and hydropower stations.

AP WITH XINHUA