THE battle to control the floodwaters raging through central China is of epic proportions.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, police and civilian volunteers are working round the clock to man dykes, fill sandbags and watch for the next surge of floodwater to sweep down from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.
As one city breathes a sigh of relief, the next one down river prepares to be deluged.
So far this year, more than 1,270 people have died in mainland floods, nearly double the figure for the whole of last year.
Rains that have pounded the central provinces of Sichuan, Hubei and Henan over the past few weeks have increased water levels to their highest in 100 years along parts of China's longest river.
Since Friday last week, 145 people have died and 900,000 have had to abandon their homes in Hunan, Jiangxi and Hubei provinces.