Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, stood up to the first crest of the flood-prone Yangtze River on July 25, according to the local flood and drought control department.

The flood peak passed Hankou -- one of the three areas that make up the city of Wuhan -- reaching 25.23 meters, 0.23 meter above the warning line but still two meters below the alarm level.

By 8:00 AM on July 26, the water level had dropped to 25.20 meters with the rate of flow slowing from 54,300 cubic meters per second to 53,800.

The water level at the Hankou section of the river had already topped the 25-meter warning line on July 23, and reached its crest at 25.23 meters at 1:00 PM Sunday afternoon, according to Wu Zhaohui, an official with the Hubei Provincial Water Resources Department.

Water levels at the major hydrological stations in Wuhan this year are about one meter lower than those of the 2003 flood season, largely because the upstream Three Gorges Dam blocked water for reserves in May.

Still, the provincial flood control headquarters has urged workers to be alert for any potential floods and reinforce all reservoirs, dykes and embankments due to heavy downpours in Hunan and Jiangxi provinces.

(Xinhua News Agency, July 26, 2004)