Chinanews, Wuhan, May 24 –The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) and hydrological stations along the Yangtze River predicted that this year it is very likely for the Yangtze River to encounter big floods. Such chance is increasing. China is faced with a tough task to prevent the floods from occurring, said Cai Qihua, vice director of the Yangtze River Flood Control Committee and head of the Water Resources Commission.She made the remarks in Wuhan on Tuesday.The Yangtze River has now entered the flooding period and how to prevent floods has become a key task. This year, some climatic factors will affect the flooding situation in the river. A less strong El Nino phenomenon occurred along the Yangtze River during the winter season of last year and the spring season of this year. As a result, many places in the Yangtze River valley experienced unprecedented big droughts. In some places, it was even difficult for people to get enough drinking water. On the other hand, the El Nino phenomenon led to more snowfall in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. As China is experiencing a relatively hot weather this year, most of this snowfall will melt and precipitation will therefore increase, Cai said.“We should be alert to the possible floods that might occur in the Yangtze River,” Cai warned.She said that this year, the hydrological conditions of the Yangtze River are very similar to the hydrological conditions in 1998. The Yangtze River has not experienced any big floods for many years. Based on past experiences, it is very likely for floods to occur this year. In some areas, there may even be some torrential rains that will lead to floods, typhoons and other disastrous weather conditions, she noted.