A screenshot from China Central Television

The Hanjiang River in South China’s Pearl River basin flooded for the fourth time in 2024, as water resources authorities strengthened flood control operations, with more than 11,000 people being urgently relocated, according to China’s Ministry of Water Resources on Monday.

From 8 am to 11 pm on Sunday, the upper reaches of the Hanjiang River in South China’s Guangdong Province experienced heavy rainfall, with the water level at the Sanheba hydrological station in the main stream of the river rising above a designated warning level – 42 meters, at 11:40 pm on Sunday, said the ministry.

A total of 17 rivers in the Hanjiang River basin have experienced flooding above this warning level. The Songyuan River and Shiku River have seen the largest floods on record. It is expected that the Sanheba station will reach a peak water level of around 48.5 meters on Monday at around noon, exceeding the warning level by about 6.5 meters, according to the ministry.

The ministry initiated a Level IV emergency response for flood control in Guangdong and maintained the response of Level IV in East China’s Fujian Province. An additional work group was dispatched to the Hanjiang River frontline to provide guidance on flood control measures.

The Xijiang River in the Pearl River basin also experienced its first flood in 2024 on Saturday. Water levels at the Wuzhou hydrological station in South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region rose to the warning level of 18.5 meters at 3:20 pm on Saturday, said the local water resource authorities.

China’s National Meteorological Center on Monday issued warnings for gale force winds, rainstorms and high temperatures in part of the regions. The northeastern regions in Guangxi and other areas are forecast to experience heavy rainstorms reaching between 250 and 280 millimeters.

In Meizhou, Guangdong, as of 7 am on Monday, more than 130,000 households have experienced power outages, with some towns and villages still out of contact, according to media reports.

At 9 am on Monday, Meizhou raised the flood control emergency response from Level II to Level I.

Heavy rain in Wuping county, East China’s Fujian Province, has caused four deaths, while two other people are still missing. The county experienced heavy rainfall, with sudden severe downpours occurring at 2 pm on Sunday afternoon, Wuping authorities reported on Monday.

According to preliminary statistics, a total of 47,800 people were affected, with 378 houses collapsed, 880 hectares of crops affected, and direct economic losses reaching 415 million yuan ($57.2 million) in Wuping county, said the authorities.

Global Times