Heavy rain in eastern China has put hundreds of reservoirs at risk of overflowing in Anhui Province.

Torrent gushes from the Xiaolangdi Reservoir in Jiyuan, central China's Henan Province, June 21, 2011. The Yellow River Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters launched on Sunday a 20-day operation to discharge water from three reservoirs, namely Wanjiazhai, Sanmenxia and Xiaolangdi, in a bid to clear up the sediment in the river.?

An official with the Anhui Water Resource Department said levels at more than 660 reservoirs in the province were above warning levels.

The level of the Shuiyang and Qingyi rivers, both tributaries of the Yangtze River running through Anhui, has also risen above safe levels.

Many of the reservoirs have begun discharging water under orders from the state flood-control headquarters.

In neighboring Zhejiang Province, the operator of eastern China's largest reservoir opened three of its nine floodgates yesterday to avoid the risk of overflowing.

It was the first time the Xin'anjiang Reservoir, part of the Thousand Island Lake tourist attraction, had been forced to discharge water since 1999, Zhejiang's flood control headquarters said. Authorities have cordoned off the area to prevent tourists from being swept away.

The area has suffered torrential rain for days now and the reservoir saw its water level rise above normal on Monday night. It may take 30 to 40 hours before it is back to a safe level, officials said.

Rain-triggered floods have hit 10 cities in Zhejiang since last Saturday, affecting more than 4.41 million local residents.

Dikes near the city of Lanxi were reported to have come close to overflowing due to surging water levels on the nearby Lanjiang River.

The Xin'anjiang Reservoir is located upstream from the Lanjiang River, but flood control officials say the release of water will not cause any flooding downstream, as water levels on the river have receded to safe levels.

In 1999, when the reservoir was last discharged, eight floodgates were opened, nearly inundating the city of Jiande downstream.

About 304,000 of Zhejiang's residents had been evacuated as of 8am yesterday. Flooding has also cut off access to 899 roads and 11 railways.

Officials with the Zhejiang provincial bureau of civil affairs said state and local governments had already allocated 64 million yuan (US$9.9 million) for post-disaster reconstruction efforts.

In northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, rescuers yesterday recovered the bodies of four people who were swept away in their trucks by flash floods.