Following the heavy rainstorms experienced this summer, China’s State Council has stressed the importance of improving improve river controls and preventing mountain floods.

A statement issued after an executive meeting of the Council, chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao, said that, of the country’s entire inland waterway network, medium and small rivers were most vulnerable to flooding.

Over the next five years the central government will prioritise dyke building and river regulation work in flood-prone areas with dense populations. The construction of flood storage regions along large rivers and lakes, including Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake, should also be intensified.

China will set up more radar stations and meteorological bases in flood-prone areas, and plant more trees and vegetation to guard against soil erosion, according to the statement.