BEIJING: China is bracing for more intense rainfall, in the latest extreme weather event that has left several dead and flooded some cities in the country.
Heavy downpours are forecast this week to batter parts of northern and northeastern China, including major cities like Beijing and Tianjin, raising risks of geological disaster and flooding.
Some areas in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces are expecting severe thunderstorms or hailstorms, and perhaps tornadoes, according to the weather bureau.
Extreme weather - amplified by climate change - is sweeping the globe, spurring wildfires, flooding cities, and testing the limits of infrastructure.
In China, heat waves and excessive rain have strained power grids and roiled grain production.
In southern China’s Guangxi region, more than 400 students and teachers were stranded in a local county after severe flooding triggered by heavy rain, according to local media.
Further north, public transport and schools were suspended in parts of Hubei province as floodwaters inundated the area. In neighboring Henan province, brief episodes of extreme rainfall left several people missing, with five confirmed dead.
China’s capital of Beijing activated a citywide flood emergency response on Wednesday (July 2), urging government agencies to monitor rainfall and prepare for flood prevention.
Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, which issued flash-flood disaster warnings, have asked local authorities to inspect risk-prone locations and relocate residents to avoid risks.
Parts of Shaanxi, along with Sichuan, Gansu and the Tibetan region, are expecting more downpours this week, with cumulative rainfall in some areas forecast to exceed 400mm, according to the report from the National Meteorological Center on Tuesday.
Excessive rainfall could flood farm fields in parts of China’s northeastern region, the country’s grains basket where corn and soybeans are in their key growing period.
Crops in the south are also being threatened by weak roots and the spread of pests due to too much rain and lack of sunshine, the weather bureau said in a separate report on Monday. - Bloomberg
