Yangon, Aug 3 (IANS): Myanmar's Meteorology and Hydrology Department has issued a warning of potential flood risks, as river levels in some townships of the southern states approach or exceed their danger marks.

U Hla Tun, Director of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, told Xinhua news agency on Wednesday that heavy rainfall in recent days has contributed to the rising river levels, saying that heavy rains are common as it is currently in the rainy season.

People who settle near the river banks and low-lying areas in the townships are advised to take precautionary measures, the weather bureau said.

Authorities from the Mon State and Bago Region told Xinhua on Wednesday that their rescue teams are on high alert.

Some townships in southern Myanmar's Mon State and Kayin State have already experienced flooding in recent days due to heavy rainfall throughout the week, Xinhua news agency reported.

The weather bureau forecast that rain or thundershowers with a high degree of certainty, reaching 100 per cent, will be quite widespread across most parts of the country until the morning of August 3.