XI'AN - Premier Wen Jiabao has told officials to prepare for "more serious floods and disasters", after water levels at the Three Gorges reservoir fell from a record high on Sunday and a crucial embankment in Shaanxi province was repaired.

Emergency staff use sand bags to block the breach of a dike on the Luofu River in Huayin, Shaanxi province
The country was at a "crucial stage" in flood control, Wen said during an inspection tour that began on Friday in Hubei province where rising waters have put pressure on the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric project.
Water levels in the Three Gorges reservoir dropped by more than 15 cm overnight and were about 16.8 meters lower than the reservoir's maximum capacity of 175 meters as of 8 am on Sunday, said an official surnamed Pei at Hubei's flood prevention headquarters.

No rain was expected in the region over the next three days, but the nation's flood control authorities said on Saturday that the water level at the dam would rise again and exceed the record high reached on Friday.

Read more...