The water level in the middle Hanjiang River, the biggest tributary of the Yangtze River, rose above the danger mark as a result of continuous rainfall, officials said Tuesday.

At the Danjiangkou Reservoir, the source of China's south-to-north water diversion project, the Hanjiang water level had risen to 156.51 meters, which was 0.49 meters above the danger line, said officials of the flood-control headquarters in central China's Hubei Province.

"We are paying close attention to the flood situation and examining the dams and embankments along the Hanjiang River carefully," Liu Youfan, vice-governor of Hubei, told Xinhua.

Liu has urged local government officials at city and county levels to evacuate residents under the threat of floods to safe places.

More than 20,000 people have been mobilized to examine the embankments along the river on the alert for breaches and cave-in.

The Hubei Provincial Meteorological Station forecast heavy rain on the upper reaches of Hanjiang in the coming two days.

(Xinhua News Agency October 5, 2005)