HUARONG, Hunan Province, July 10 -- As the water level at the Yueyang hydrologic station had dropped below 32.5 meters and continued to decline on Wednesday morning, local authorities announced that water levels in the entire Dongting Lake basin had fallen below the warning level. Dongting Lake is the second-largest freshwater lake in China.

Since mid-June, central China's Hunan Province has endured intense rainfall, resulting in a sharp rise in the water volume of Dongting Lake and significantly intensifying flood control pressure, according to the provincial hydrology and water resources survey center.

Rescue personnel successfully sealed a 226-meter breach in a dike at Dongting Lake on Monday night. The breach, caused by torrential rains, prompted the evacuation of over 7,000 residents after the dike burst last Friday.

Experts cautioned that, despite the receding water levels in the region, flood prevention vigilance remained necessary, due to prolonged inundation and recent stability issues concerning dikes surrounding Dongting Lake.