BEIJING — China will closely monitor the weather and reservoir conditions as a new round of heavy rainfall is about to arrive, the Minister of Water Resources (MWR) said on May 13.

From May 14 to 17, heavy rain and stormy weather are expected to hit many southern regions including the provinces of Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi, and Chongqing Municipality, according to the National Meteorological Center.

Affected by the rainfall, rivers in some areas are likely to see a significant increase in water, even leading to possible flooding.

MWR has told local authorities to strengthen real-time monitoring and guard against possible floods and mountain torrents, especially to deploy measures for small and medium reservoirs and ongoing water conservancy projects.