THE country could be facing an imminent risk of disaster from flooding, a senior official warned.
Deputy Minister of Water Resources Zhang Chunyuan said sub-standard flood control measures coupled with the fact that many major rivers had not experienced high-water levels for decades posed a 'serious risk'.
He said the poor flood control measures jeopardised disaster prevention abilities.
Mr Zhang admitted efforts to bring small and medium-sized rivers under control had failed throughout the country.
But he also said rivers had been damaged by 'human interference' which undermined the ability to control flooding.
He said major rivers like the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Hai River had not experienced high water levels for many years.