China raises flood response to second highest level; Poyang Lake hits record-high water level

Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake located in the eastern province of Jiangxi, has seen its water level rise to a record high at midnight Sunday (July 12), according to the provincial department of water resources. China also raised the emergency response for flood control to level II, the second-highest in the response system, as heavy downpours continued to lash vast stretches of the country. - Xinhua

BEIJING, July 12 (Xinhua): China's Ministry of Water Resources (MWR) on Sunday raised the emergency response for flood control to level II, the second-highest in the response system, as heavy downpours continued to lash vast stretches of the country.

Since July 4, alert-triggering floods have been observed in 212 rivers nationwide, among which 19 topped previous water level records, according to the MWR.