2010-07-13 11:58

TONGCHENG, Anhui - Authorities in East China's Anhui province are considering measures including blasting a dike on a swollen branch of the Yangtze River to prevent flooding of villages.

Soldiers repair the dike breaches with sand bags along the Qingcao section of the Dasha River, in Tongcheng city, East China's Anhui province, July 12, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

A 300-strong team of armed police has been laying sandbags along the riverbank in Qingcao township, Tongcheng city to prevent water gushing out of a 200-meter-long break on the Qingcao Township Dike on the Dasha River from inundating villages, said local armed police chief Yang Fei Tuesday.

But authorities are concerned the sandbags will not be able to hold the water back when heavy rains hit the area again, so they are mulling the blasting of another part of the dike.

Meteorological authorities have forecast another round of heavy rains to hit the area over coming three days.

Disaster relief experts, army officials and engineers will attend an emergency meeting to decide whether to blast the dike, Yang said Tuesday morning.

Heavy machinery, including trucks and excavators, have already been dumped into the river to slow the speed of the water gushes.

Yang said the situation is currently under control as the weather has improved.