BEIJING, July 13: Authorities were on Sunday redoubling efforts to fight floods in central and eastern China, as the flood crest on the swollen Huai River moved east, and Premier Wen Jiabao urged officials to put residents’ safety first.

Water levels in the middle reaches of the river in Anhui province were beginning to recede Sunday, but floodwaters were marching to the lower reaches of the river in eastern Jiangsu province towards Hongze Lake, state media said.

“The water level today at Hongze Lake is 14.25 meters. It is very high,” a Jiangsu province anti-flood officer told AFP.

At 14.25 meters, the lake, which serves as the main catchment for the Huai River, is 0.75 meters above the alert level, and 0.19 meters higher than the record peak of 1991, when the river and lake suffered severe flooding.

Some 55,700 residents near the lake were urgently being relocated, under a deadline requiring they move to higher ground by 6:00 pm (1100 GMT) Sunday, the Sina.com website said.

Despite receding waters in the river’s middle reaches, experts warned flood fighters in neighbouring Anhui province they must remain on high alert as the water level was still high and dykes were at high risk of failing.

“The dykes have been soaked for a long time. When the water is receding, dangers can easily occur,” Cheng Dianlong, a spokesman for the office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, said on state television.

“We again warn various areas to step up their inspections, guarantee dangers can be discovered in a timely manner and dealt with in a timely manner and guarantee the safety of the dykes of the Huai River.”

The Huai River valley is suffering its worst floods since 1991 due to continuous rainfall from the end of June, with water levels in some sections exceeding record levels.

Floodwaters flowing into the Hongze Lake from the upper and middle reaches of the river peaked at 14,500 cubic meters per second, much higher than the 1991 record of 11,000 cubic meters, Xinhua said Sunday.—AFP