People reinforce the levee along Poyang Lake in Jiujiang, East China's Jiangxi province, on July 16, 2019. (Photo: VCG)

NANCHANG -- The water level of Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake, in East China's Jiangxi Province, continues to rise, having recently exceeded the warning level, local authorities said Thursday.

At 8 am Thursday, water at the Xingzi hydrological station at the lake recorded 20.65 meters, measuring 1.65 meters above the warning level.

At the same time, the Hukou hydrological station saw the water level reach 20.44 meters which is 0.94 meters above the warning level, according to the provincial water resources department.

As of July 16, 1,298-km-long levees along Poyang Lake and the Yangtze River saw the water exceed warning levels. Jiangxi has deployed more than 39,000 personnel to patrol along the dykes and arranged 190 sets of mechanical equipment for fighting floods.