Flood control authorities in China have asked government agencies to come up with a more detailed plan following the possibility of a big flood happening in Yangtze River's middle and lower reaches this summer.

The plan is expected to provide specific measures and interventions to implement relative to prevention and relief operations.

Like Us on Facebook

As shared by China Daily, the Meteorological Center for the Yangtze River predicted that with the strong El Niño, rainfall would increase by 10 to 50 in May in the middle and lower reaches of China's longest river.

Meanwhile, it is expected that from June until August, water level in certain portions of the Yangtze River's middle reaches would be higher. Considering that such months belong to the major flood season, it was projected that the rise would be between 50 and 80 percent.

Another factor that has reinforced the authorities' prediction about the possibility of a big flood happening again was the fact that water level along Xiangjiang and Ganjiang branches reached beyond the warning line in March.

During a meeting on Thursday, vice-minister of water resources Liu Ning revealed that a flood in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River is not far from happening considering the on-going El Niño which started in September 2014.

"It is very similar to the one that caused big floods in 1998," Liu said.

It can be recalled that in 1998, massive floods affected the Yangtze River and its basin areas which took the lives of at least 3,000 people throughout the country.

Tagschina, Yangtze River, Big Flood