The risk of major flooding looms increasingly large along the Huaihe River, part of the dividing line between China's northern and southern regions. The rain-swollen river has risen above alert-triggering levels, with more torrential rain forecast for the river's basin.

Due to incessant downpours, the water level at the Wangjiaba hydrological station reached 27.5 meters, its warning level, late Friday, marking the river's first flood of the year.

However, the water level further increased to 29.66 meters at 6:36 am Monday morning, 0.36 meters above the maximum design level for dikes in the section, according to the Huaihe River Commission.