Flood fears rise in China’s east as rain swells Yangtze River levels
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A drone view shows flooded buildings following heavy rainfall in Pingjiang county of Yueyang, Hunan province, China, on July 2, 2024.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BEIJING - Rising water levels in the Yangtze River following intense rain in southern China have prompted eastern regions downstream to prepare for possible flooding.
Water levels in the Jiangsu section of China’s longest river continued to rise on July 3 as a result of the increased flow from its upper reaches as well as the persistent rainfall.
Nanjing, the capital of China’s eastern Jiangsu province issued its second-highest flood warning and the authorities banned various vessels, including passenger ferries, from entering or operating in the river’s Jiangsu section, state media reported.
China’s Ministry of Water Resources said on July 2 that water levels in sections of the middle and lower courses of the Yangtze River had exceeded the warning mark.
Water levels at Poyang Lake in Jiangxi province, where the authorities had activated a second-level response for flood control since the night of July 2, were also being closely watched.
The country’s largest freshwater lake logged its highest water level in July 2020 at 22.6m.
Heavy rainfall pounded parts of central China’s Hunan province earlier this week, causing the Miluo River in Pingjiang county to swell to its highest level in 70 years.
Local authorities in Hunan activated the maximum emergency response level and state media showed large parts of its town waterlogged, as well as stranded people being rescued on boats.
About 340,000 people in China were affected and businesses were hit. A factory producing spicy snacks said it would shut for five days due to water outages, traffic blockages and disrupted communication lines.
The rain is expected to begin dissipating from the southern regions, and forecasters said warmer temperatures could follow as rain clouds that kept areas cooler than normal drift away.
The rain belt causing floods in areas around the middle and lower course of the Yangtze River will begin to shift northwards from July 4 night.
Torrential rain is expected in provinces including Sichuan, Chongqing, and parts of Hubei, Henan and Shandong, China's National Meteorological Centre said.
The rainfall would be welcome in northern areas afflicted with drought, but continuous rain may cause secondary disasters, weather experts warned in the national forecast. REUTERS
