HEFEI, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The third flood crest passed through the Wangjiaba section of the Huaihe River Tuesday morning, China's third longest river, leaving no danger of flooding so far in the area.

    According to officials with the Huaihe River Water Resources Commission, the water level monitored at Wangjiaba, a key hydrological station on the middle reaches of the river, rose to 28.95 meters at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

    When the crest roared by, it measured a volume of 5,140 cubic meters per second, according to the commission.

    The water level monitored at Wangjiaba, where the danger line is placed at 27.5 meters, fell back to 28.94 meters on Tuesday noon.

    "We will not use the Mengwa flood diversion area to divert floodwater from the Huaihe River judging from the current situation," said Xia Chengning, a senior engineer with the commission.

    According to weather forecast, torrential rains are expected to hit the Huaihe Rivers basin over the next two days.

    Consistent rainfalls started to pour down last Saturday in the southwestern Anhui and northern part of the Huaihe river, with precipitation in 30 townships exceeding 100 millimeters.

    The floods have killed at least 30 people and affected more than 15 million residents in 15 cities of the province.

    By Sunday, 60,000 houses have collapsed, and 585,000 people have been forced to relocate. A total of 300,000 people are suffering from drinking water shortage. Total economic losses have reached 9.17 billion yuan (about 120 million U.S. dollars), latest statistics from the provincial disaster relief show.