CHANGSHA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Central China's Hunan Province launched a Level IV emergency response, the lowest in China's four-tier emergency response system, for flood control on Friday.
The provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said that Dongting Lake, the second-largest freshwater lake in the country, and hilly regions in northwestern Hunan, should be considered the key areas for flood control work.
The authority called on relevant departments to work on inspecting and handling the risks at the lake's dikes and preparing emergency materials, while preventing torrential floods and protecting reservoirs in the hilly regions.
Dongting Lake's water level is continuing to rise, with the level at the western and southern parts of the lake exceeding the warning mark.
The period between Friday and July 11 will be a major high-risk period for flood control, according to the headquarters.
Torrential rain has battered many localities in Hunan since Monday, and severe flooding has been reported in the county of Fenghuang.
By 2 p.m. Tuesday, water had exceeded flood-season levels in 15 reservoirs in Hunan. Enditem
