A flood control and drought relief headquarters on China's third longest Pearl River officially opened on Tuesday.

Officials from Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Fujian and the Ministry of Water Resources passed the working regulations for the base in Guilin City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

It is China's fifth flood control command organization on a specific drainage area.

The other four cover the Yangtze, Yellow, Huaihe and Songhua rivers.

Chairman of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Lu Bing is in charge of the headquarters.

Vice Minister of Water Resources E Jingping said the Pearl River drainage area has seen four major floods since 1994.
 
(Xinhua News Agency July 12, 2006)