China has warned of flood risks near the Bei River, a southern tributary of the Pearl River, over the next 30 days as authorities prepare for emergencies and evacuation.
Heavy showers, known as “dragon boat rain”, often hit southern China around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival, which typically falls in mid-June. But this year, the amount of rainfall could be 20 to 50 per cent more than usual in the Pearl River area, the Ministry of Water Resources said on Monday.
Due to torrential rains in recent days, water levels in the river’s main tributaries reached 0.5 metre (1.64 feet) higher than usual, and reservoirs in the area held 10 per cent more water, the ministry said.
The ministry has organised a team to analyse the development of rainstorms and plan prevention measures accordingly, it said. In the next few weeks, it will strive to publish alerts in a timely manner, urge local governments to arrange for supervision around dams, reservoirs and construction projects near rivers, and pay close attention to flash floods and waterlogging, it said.
Local governments should implement early warnings and organise evacuations in advance, as well as increase monitoring and reporting, the ministry said.
On Saturday, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters activated a level four emergency flood prevention response, the lowest in a four-tier system, for Guangdong province and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
Since then, cities in the area have been on high alert. Over the weekend, Shenzhen’s weather forecaster predicted daily average rainfall of 345mm (13.6 inches) over the next 30 days. If those predictions are correct, the falls will amount to 18 per cent of the average annual total.
It said heavy rainstorms would hit the city on May 19, May 25, May 29, June 8 and June 16. The forecaster warned the public that the storms were likely to happen in the morning and would be heavy and sudden and affect traffic.
The Guangzhou government on Tuesday cautioned that heavy rainstorms could lead to inner city flooding and cautioned the public to avoid walking in deep water. If water reaches knee level, people should carry a stick or pole to probe the ground to avoid falling into manholes or tripping. It encouraged the public to report fallen electrical wires to authorities.
Last month, China predicted water flows in the Bei River would hit record levels after days of torrential rain. The cities of Qingyuan, Shaoguan, Huizhou and capital Guangzhou were particularly hard hit, prompting flood alerts and rainstorm warnings for three days in a row. More than 800 people had to be evacuated as waters rose, but there were no casualties.
