Beijing, Apr 28 (IANS): The Yellow River, China's second-longest river, may face higher risks of floods this summer in the middle and lower reaches due to increased rainfall, authorities said.

The Yellow River basin is expected to see much more rainfall this summer, with parts of the middle and lower reaches to receive up to 40 per cent more precipitation than the normal-year level, said the Yellow River Conservancy Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources on Wednesday.

Zhang Letian, an official with the Commission, was quoted by a CCTV news report as saying that, due to persistent impact of La Nina, increased rainstorms and floods will make disaster-control work more challenging, Xinhua news agency reported.

The region has already seen abnormal climate conditions this year. As of April 20, 64 per cent of the observatory stations in the basin had recorded meteorological drought while precipitation in some areas in the middle reaches has been extremely strong.

The Yellow River basin is usually lashed by frequent rainfall in late June. The Commission has ordered immediate campaigns to identify hidden risks in flood-control facilities and shore up the weak links.