China raises flood alert levels along Huai River
Floods in China
China on Sunday raised the flood alert level in the Huai River region in the country's east to Level II, after days of torrential downpours and amid expectations of further heavy rainfall.
Level II is the second highest on its four-tier scale
Ten reservoirs on the Huai River have seen water levels exceeding warning levels by as much as 6.85 metres.
Torrential rains have battered China for two weeks from Chongqing in the southwest to Shanghai on the east coast.
Several regions alongside the Yangtze River, including Wuhan city in Hubei province and in Jiangxi province, where China's largest freshwater lake is located, declared the highest flood alerts.
Floods are occurring at the same time at the Yantze River, Huai River and Tai Lake, the water resources ministry said.
At Lake Tai, on the border of the wealthy coastal provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, water levels have already risen above the safety guaranteed level, according to government data.
The summer rainy season brings floods to China almost every year but the impact of the disruption they cause is being felt further afield as Chinese goods become more important in global supply chains for various items, including personal protective equipment, vital in the fight against the novel coronavirus.