The water level in the flood-prone Dongting Lake in central China's Hunan Province receded yesterday, but experts warned that the danger has not yet passed.

The level is likely to rise again as heavy rain may fall on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and Hunan by tomorrow, according to sources from the provincial meteorological observatory.

Hunan's flood control headquarters issued an emergency notice yesterday, requiring more detailed inspections of dykes endangered by continuous high water level.

The water level at Chenglingji, where the lake connects with the flooding Yangtze River, stood at 34.85 meters at 3 pm yesterday, down 6 centimeters from 2 am, according to the local flood control headquarters. However, the level still exceeded the warning level by 2.85 meters.

The flood peak in the Yangtze River reached Yueyang in Hunan Province on Saturday evening and pushed the lake level to 34.91 meters, the highest level this year.

More than 1 million people, including soldiers and farmers, were preparing yesterday to battle a flood crest on the lake, where rising waters have threatened to engulf millions of people living in the area.

On Friday, the flood control headquarters in Yueyang punished 16 government officials for dereliction of duty at the front line of the battle against the flood. Most of the 16 slept or left their posts while they were supposed to be inspecting the dykes and finding any hidden dangers.

In Changde in Hunan Province, a dozen illegally dug wells were plugged up because they were located only around 150 meters from some dykes and posed a threat to the dykes.

Three people were arrested for violating the law on flood controls, according to an official with the Changde flood control headquarters.

Central China's Hubei Province was also endangered by the high water level of the Yangtze River. The biggest flood peak since the Yangtze River began its autumn flooding passed Jianli yesterday morning without causing any problems.

Throughout China, nearly 1,070 people have been killed since June by the flooding and landslides caused by the heavy rainfall and more than 80,000 have been injured.

(Xinhua News Agency August 26, 2002)