CHENGDU • Torrential rain has disrupted road and air traffic in several cities in south-western China, the local authorities said yesterday.
Several sections of highways in Sichuan province had been blocked due to flooding and landslides caused by the downpour.
At the Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, the provincial capital, 52 inbound flights had to be diverted to other airports and more than 70 flights cancelled.
Many parts of China have been battered by heavy rains this summer. In Sichuan province, rain-induced floods have killed at least three people and affected 932,000 in 62 cities, districts and counties, with direct economic losses amounting to 2.4 billion yuan (S$490 million).
Gansu province was hit even harder, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.
At least 12 people have died in there, and more than one million people in 44 cities, districts and counties affected by floods. Direct economic losses in Gansu province are estimated at more than 1.4 billion yuan so far.
Nearly 100,000 residents were temporarily evacuated before a flood peak passed in the municipality of Chongqing on Saturday.
China's national observatory has renewed a blue alert - the lowest of a four-tier colour-coded weather warning system - for he
avy rain yesterday and today. Heavy rain is expected to hit parts of Inner Mongolia and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous regions, and provinces of Shaanxi, Guangdong and Hainan, according to the National Meteorological Centre. The weather authorities have also issued a yellow alert for high temperatures in the coming week, as a persistent heat wave is expected to scorch some parts of southern and central China.
Vast areas of central and southern China are also expected to see temperatures above 35 deg C this week. Temperatures in some parts of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Shandong and Jiangxi provinces were forecast to hit 39 deg C yesterday.
In India, monsoon rain yesterday threatened to disrupt daily life in the financial centre of Mumbai. Since yesterday morning, Mumbai received incessant rainfall in several areas, reported India Today website.
XINHUA, CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
