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Record flood levels hit 33 rivers in China

People wade through floodwater at an intersection, after heavy rainfall led to flooding in Hefei, Anhui province, China, June 27, 2020. Photo:©Reuters

 

Record flood levels hit 33 rivers in China

 

By Patryk Krych | The World Daily | JULY 13th 2020

 

33 rivers in China have had a record-breaking flooding, as water had overflown the banks in historically unseen amounts. People all across the country are bracing for a worsening of the situation, under the incoming threat of torrential rains, a senior water ministry official said.

Since the beginning of the flood season back in June, some of the country’s major lakes such as Dongting, the Poyang and the Tai, as well as at least 433 rivers, have all seen a rising in their water levels, to a point of severe warning. This is according to the vice minister of water resources, Ye Jianchun, who spoke during a briefing.

Jianchun stated that the torrential rains and floodings that have tormented central China are due to eventually head North, and added that “Going into the key flood-prevention period of late July to early August, the current trends remain grim on the Yangtze and the Lake Tai basins.”

The Hubei province, which was very heavily and dangerously affected by the coronavirus outbreak, is among those suffering the worst of the flooding around the Yangtze river region. On Monday, authorities said that the region had seen its second-highest day of rainfall in over 50 years. This led to floods that brought about 141 reported deaths or cases of missing people since the last month, the emergency ministry said last Friday.

“Red alerts” had to be declared around the Yangtze region, according to flood-control authorities. These warnings cover a variety of the major regional population centres, which include Xianning, Jiujiang and Nanchang.

The floods are thought to pose yet another threat to the Chinese economy, so soon after following the coronavirus world-wide quarantine shutdown that led to the closing of many overseas markets as well as severe damages, which have been estimated to be somewhere in the hundreds of millions in dollars.

Since records of rainfall first began in 1961, the recent torrential rains have proven to be the highest on average. “China has entered the critical period for flood control,” said President Xi Jinping, after having sent in the army to help with rescue and resettlement missions for the thousands of people who’d lost their homes.

Flooding situations are nothing new in China, with its long history of tragic floods going back centuries. Experts warn, however, that an exacerbation of the flooding was caused by the recent rise in infrastructure of dams around the regions, blocking off rivers and connections between lakes and floodplains.

Criticism has been cast at the amount of money given for aid efforts, given the damages suffered thus far. China’s National Development and Reform Commission said it would be sending 309 million yuan (about £35 million) for the relief efforts.

“This 309 million yuan is not even enough to buy or sell a piece of land,” said one Chinese critic through social media.

“This is not worth reporting. It is not even more than what that official in Shaanxi stole,” another said, whilst referring to a particular disgraced provincial official who’d confessed to committing the crime bribery, and had his funds seized.

 

By Patryk Krych | © The World Daily 2020

 

 

Categories:
Environment
Tags:
AsiaChinaNatural DisastersFloods