The danger water level for the 196-kilometer section of the Yangtze River embankment was increased by half a meter to 20 meters in three major water level monitoring stations, said the officials.

Zhu Laiyou, secretary general of the Flood Control and Drought Prevention Headquarters of Jiangxi provincial government, said the move meant local areas would save a lot of manpower and other resources in patrolling the section during flood seasons before it was really necessary.

"The capability of the reinforced embankment has improved, so we changed the danger water levels accordingly," he said.

China has invested 1.95 billion yuan (US$237 million) since 1998 in consolidating the Jiujiang section, which has withheld the pressure of major flood waters in 1999 and 2002 after part of it breached in the 1998 flood season.

The flood water exceeded the previous danger levels twice last year for nearly a month without a major danger risk.

It is part of the 28.2 billion yuan (US$3.43 billion) China earmarked for reinforcing the embankment on the lower and middle reaches of the river since 1998.

(Xinhua News Agency April 16, 2003)