Beijing, July 5 : Floods and geological disasters triggered by recent heavy rainfall in east China's Jiangxi Province had impacted over 1.56 million people by Thursday evening, according to statistics revealed by local authorities.

Homes belonging to 43 households had collapsed and over 2.41 million mu (about 160,667 hectares) of farmland had been flooded. Direct economic losses are estimated to be 1.86 billion yuan (about $260.9 million), Xinhua news agency reported, citing Jiangxi's flood-control and drought-relief headquarters.

Chinese authorities on Wednesday launched a Level IV emergency response to floods in Jiangxi.

The National Disaster Reduction Commission has dispatched a team to guide and assist local governments with disaster relief work and rescue efforts, aiming to ensure the basic needs of affected residents.

At the request of Jiangxi provincial authorities, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and other departments have allocated woven bags, lighting equipment, drainage pumps, life jackets and other emergency relief materials with a total value of about 8.13 million yuan to the province.

Affected by persistent heavy rainfall, it is expected that water levels of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake will continue to rise. The water level of Taihu Lake will remain above its warning mark.

The Yangtze River Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources on Thursday reported that major hydrological stations in the middle and lower reaches of the river, as well as the exit hydrological station at Poyang Lake, are likely to see flooding peaks from Thursday evening to Friday.

Five work teams and four expert teams have been dispatched to the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jiangxi, Anhui, Hubei and Hunan to support local flood control work.

/IANS