ULAN BATOR, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's weather monitoring agency announced Monday a significant rise in the water levels of all major rivers, urging citizens living nearby to take extra precautions.

"The water levels in major rivers, including Khovd, Buyant, Onon, Kherlen, Selenge and Kharkhiraa have exceeded the warning levels by 20-65 centimeters due to heavy downpours since last weekend," according to a statement by Mongolia's National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring.

The agency warned residents living along the rivers to take all necessary precautions.

Meteorologists forecast that the rain won't stop until this weekend.

Until the recent pouring rain, almost half of all the country's territory had experienced one of the worst droughts in history, especially the provinces covered by the gobi desert.