China's Ministry of Water Resources initiated a Level-IV flood-control emergency response on Wednesday for four provincial-level regions, as Typhoon Podul is forecast to bring torrential rainfall across extensive areas of the country in the coming days.

From Aug. 13 to 15, heavy to extreme rainfall is predicted to affect east China's Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi, both in south China, and Hunan in central China.

The intense precipitation may lead to rising water levels in several regional rivers including the Dongjiang, Xijiang and Xiangjiang rivers, with some small and medium-sized rivers in high-risk areas potentially exceeding warning thresholds.

The ministry has urged local authorities to step up real-time monitoring of rainfall and river conditions, issue timely public alerts, and enhance urban waterlogging-prevention measures.

Three work teams have been dispatched to Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi, respectively, to provide guidance for typhoon preparedness, rainstorm response, and flood prevention operations.

The Level-IV response is the lowest in China's four-tier emergency response system.