BEIJING, April 24 -- China's Ministry of Water Resources on Wednesday said the Pearl River basin in the south of the country is likely to flood three more times in the coming days, and called for relevant preparations to be made.

Affected by downpours from Wednesday to Friday, three of the basin's rivers -- the Xijiang, Beijiang and Hanjiang rivers -- are expected to experience floods, the ministry said.

The heavy rain could also push the water levels of some of the basin's small and medium-sized rivers above their warning lines, it said.

Calling for all-out prevention efforts, the ministry has set key flood prevention tasks and ordered close monitoring of local weather conditions.

The Pearl River is China's third-longest river and its second-largest in terms of annual flow capacity. It runs through several regions, including Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangxi.