China's third-longest river Huaihe faces significant flood risk

HEFEI - Unrelenting rain along the Huaihe River, China's third-longest waterway, has pushed the water level to a record high and fanned concerns over possible floods, Huaihe water conservation commission said on Wednesday.

The El Nino and La Nina phenomena have had a significant effect on the weather this year, and the river flooded in the summer, said Wang Bin, an inspector from the commission.

Since October, heavy rain has pushed water levels on the Huaihe tributary to record highs. In October, 177 millimeters of rain fell in the Huaihe drainage area, 289 percent more than the average of previous years, Wang said.

Four billion cubic meters of water is expected to flow into Hongze Lake, which is in the lower reaches of Huaihe, in the near future.

The commission has ordered local authorities to closely monitor the weather and take precautionary measures. Hydropower stations and irrigation facilities shall be properly used to control floods, it said.

The 1,000-km long Huaihe River originates in Henan Province and traverses Hubei, Anhui, Shandong and Jiangsu provinces. Often called the most untamed river in China, it floods every three to four years on average, including 17 intense floods over the past century.