China Faces Flood Risks and Weather-Related Disasters

A representative from China's top emergency response authority announced on Tuesday that some rivers in the Haihe River Basin of North China and the Songliao Basin of Northeast China are at risk of major flooding. The spokeswoman for the Ministry of Emergency Management, Shen Zhanli, stated at a Beijing news conference that all seven major river basins in China have entered their primary flood season this month.

Shen noted that due to global climate change, extreme and unpredictable weather events have become more frequent. She highlighted that the country is currently in a critical period for flood prevention, specifically from the latter half of July through the first half of August. This period is considered the most complex and severe for flood control throughout the year. The peak of summer travel and outdoor construction further elevates safety risks.

The ministry's disaster risk forecast for August indicates high risks of flooding and hail in parts of North, Northeast, East, South, and Southwest China. The forecast also anticipates two to three typhoons impacting China this month, with at least one expected to affect areas north of the Yangtze River. Additionally, there is a high risk of forest fires in the Greater Hinggan Mountains and several parts of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Geological disasters are possible in western areas of Yunnan province, while high-temperature drought risks are present in parts of the middle and lower Yangtze River region, the Jianghuai area, and central and northern Xinjiang.

On Monday night, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters elevated its flood emergency response level from Level IV to Level III for Beijing, Tianjin, and the provinces of Hebei and Guangdong. This action was taken in response to meteorological forecasts predicting heavy to torrential rainfall in those regions.

In Guangdong, the provincial hydrology department issued multiple red alerts for flooding and mountain torrents, the highest warning level in China's alert system. By Tuesday evening, emergency management authorities in Beijing and Hebei had either lowered or maintained their current emergency levels as rainfall decreased or ceased. Heavy rainfall had also largely subsided in Tianjin and its upstream areas.