Taihu Lake on the flood-prone Yangtze River rose to 3.51 meters, 0.01 meter above the flood warning mark, after two days of heavy rain.

The flood control headquarters of Jiangsu Province, east China, reported that water levels of the Yangtze River at Zhenjiang, Jiangyin and Tianshenggang reached 6.99, 5.83 and 5.55 meters, exceeding the warning mark by 0.19, 0.33 and 0.35 meters respectively.

The local meteorological department is predicting more rains in the next three days. Preparations for flood control are reported to be in full swing.

Shanghai, China's biggest metropolis, also saw rainstorms in the last two days. Its Xuhui district received 51 millimeters of rain in 24 hours, but no flooding was reported thanks to effective drainage measures.

Chen Liangyu, mayor of Shanghai, called for more intensive supervision of the water level of the Huangpu River which winds through the city and full preparations for flood control.

(ChinaEnvironment.com July 1, 2002)