SEOUL:  North Korea has started discharging water from one of its dams along the border with South Korea amid high cross-border tensions, reports said Monday.

The North has released up to 1,000 tons of water per second from its Hwanggang Dam near the border, the Yonhap news agency said.

The dam appeared to have opened its floodgates late Sunday to release water into the Imjin river, which flows down into South Korea before reaching the Yellow Sea.

South Korean officials were unavailable for comment.

Torrential rains have pounded the peninsula for the past few days, raising the water levels of major rivers.

Pyongyang informed Seoul Sunday that it would soon discharge water from one of its border dams to prevent flooding.

The North had promised to give such notices after a flash flood triggered by its sudden dam discharge last September killed six South Korean campers.

Seoul has raised fears in the past of a "water attack" from Pyongyang.

Tensions have risen since South Korea and the United States, citing the findings of a multinational investigation, accused the North of torpedoing a South Korean warship near the tense sea border in March.

The North angrily denies involvement and says a UN Security Council statement on July 9 -- which condemned the attack without specifying the culprit -- proves its point.

BDST: 0953 HRS, July 19, 2010