BEIJING, June 19 -- China's Ministry of Water Resources on Wednesday issued a Level-IV emergency response to flooding in the Anhui and Hubei provinces.

Torrential rain is forecast to lash the two provinces from Wednesday to Saturday, with significant rises expected in the water levels of major rivers, including some tributaries of the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers, the ministry said.

The water levels of some minor regional rivers are projected to exceed warning thresholds, the ministry added, noting that it has dispatched working teams to the two provinces to guide flood prevention and mitigation work.

Relevant local departments stated that they are closely monitoring the conditions to prevent an abrupt turn from drought to flood in key areas.

China has a four-tier emergency response system for flood control, with Level I being the most severe response scenario.