WANGJIABA -- The sluices of Wangjiaba, a key hydrological station on the Huaihe River, were opened Tuesday noon to divert the floodwater to adjacent Mengwa buffer zone.

The move is expected to bring relief to the residents in Henan Province, where the upper reaches of the Huaihe River runs through, and alleviate the pressure upon the downstream sections affected by the swollen river.

Water level monitored at the Wangjiaba hydrological station was 29.29 meters at 10 a.m. Tuesday, just 0.1 meter below the danger line.

Chinese Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei on Tuesday morning issued an order that the sluices of Wangjiaba could be opened to divert the floodwater to the Mengwa buffer zone.

The opening of Wangjiaba sluices could cause damages to the 12,000 hectares of cropland inside the Mengwa flood storage area. And more than 150,000 people would be affected, local officials said.

However, the impact on the residents living in the Mengwa area will be limited, as most of them have built their houses on elevated platforms. Those who live in low-lying locations have moved to higher ground.