Lishui River, a major branch of the Yangtze River, which runs through central China's Hunan Province, was hit by severe floods from Wednesday to Thursday.

The information was released on Thursday by the Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

As of 1 a.m. Thursday, the water level at Shimen hydraulic station on the Lishui River reached 62.31 meter, 4.31 meter higher than the warning line, the second highest level recorded at the station.

A minor flood diversion area of the Lishui River has been opened to ease pressure.

As of 8 p.m. Wednesday, the water level at Fengtan reservoir on the Yuanjiang River, another major branch of the Yangtze River, rose to 204.80 meter, 6.3 meter higher than the warning mark.

Zhang Zhitong, vice director of the Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Thursday urged caution regarding the two rivers.

He also stressed that relevant departments should spare no efforts to ensure reservoir safety.

China has 86,000 reservoirs, of which 30,413 are threatened, making up 36 percent of the total.

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