Officials fear the flooding on the nation's rain-swollen rivers could worsen as the summer's major flood season officially begins.

Heavy rains and stormy weather are expected in many areas, with precipitation expected to reach as much as 253 millimeters in some locations, meteorologists predicted Monday.

Rain has already caused rivers to overflow their banks in central China's Henan Province.

"Disasters like torrential rain, typhoons, mountain torrents and storm tides are likely to occur throughout China at any moment in the days ahead, since the entire country is now in its major flood season," the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters warned Monday in an emergency circular. "Local authorities must do their best to deal with emergency issues of flood control, mass evacuation, relocation of stranded people and epidemic prevention."

The headquarters urged weather forecast offices to issue timely predictions of key devastating calamities so that decision makers could take planned measures and mitigate damage.

Officials at the headquarters have made it clear that top priority for disaster relief will be given to safeguarding people's lives.

"Locals living nearing overflow reservoirs, sluices of rain-swollen rivers or flood diversion areas must be moved out of their homes before any such facilities are used," they said.

The intense rainfall that brought injury and death to central China's Huaihe River last week has now abated.

However, this week a heat wave will sweep over parts of north and northwest China. In the south as well, temperatures may rise to highs of 38 degrees Celsius in some areas. Strong gusts of wind and hail may also strike a few places.

Over the weekend, five people were reportedly injured, one seriously, in east China's Shandong Province as a tornado and downpours averaging 100 millimeters slashed many areas.

More than 14,000 people have been affected, 6,621 housing units damaged and 2,600 hectares of crops inundated.

Large tracts of maize and big trees were ripped up by a tornado, witnesses said.

The local government has dispatched doctors and relief workers to the worst-hit areas with 400,000 yuan (US$48,192) earmarked for emergency dwellings to be built.

(China Daily July 20, 2004)