One million battle China floods

Thousands live on the banks of the Dongting, China's second largest freshwater lake

HONG KONG, China -- Nearly one million residents and soldiers in China's Hunan Province have joined the fight against the biggest flood in decades.

The swollen Yangtze River is putting pressure on the hundreds of kilometers of shoreline along Lake Dongting and its tributaries in the central province, threatening millions of lives.

Water levels along 1,829 kilometers (1,136 miles) of the 2,819-kilometer lake have surpassed warning marks, the official Xinhua news agency reported late Thursday.

The People's Liberation Army, the military police and government officials have pledged more personnel and resources to shore up the levees and dykes.

"There are 900,000 people fighting the floods," a flood control official in Changsha, the provincial capital, told Reuters.

AUDIO CNN's Jaime FlorCruz reports that just 800 of the thousands that live close to the lake are still waiting to be evacuated from the edges of the lake 1.45 MB / 2 mins 18 secs WAV sound   RESOURCES Gallery: Flash floods devastate China      QUICKVOTE Do you think Beijing could do more to ease China's annual flooding problem? Yes No Don't know View Results   MAP China's danger zone    MORE STORIES • Asian floods claim 1,800 lives

"There are people everywhere. They have surrounded the lake."

Other officials predict a crisis might come on Sunday, when the flood peak from the Yangtze is expected to hit Dongting.

State papers on Friday carried a statement by Vice-Premier Wen Jiabao, saying all officials should do their utmost to "protect the life and security of the masses and to resolutely ensure that not a single mistake is made."

Meanwhile, Xinhua reported that 14 officials in Hunan had been punished for critical mistakes, including failing to deploy workers to man dangerous dykes.

Since the flooding began in the early spring, authorities have imposed a rigorous responsibility system whereby local officials are personally held responsible for the safety of areas under their jurisdiction.

The safety and livelihood of 10 million people will be affected should a massive spill over from the Dongting occur.

Hunan officials cleared roads earlier in the week that so relief goods for those driven from their homes can get through.

Meanwhile, other provinces and cities along the Yangtze and its tributaries are also deploying more resources to repair and strengthen embankments.

CCTV reported on Friday that water levels in the Jiuqiang River in Jiangxi Province had was sitting above the danger level, and in the industrial center of Wuhan, Hubei Province levels had passed the warning mark of 27.3 meters, state media reported.

Nearly 1,000 people have perished from flooding, landslides and mudslides this summer, with more than 200 deaths recorded in Hunan Province.