China’s Yangtze River provinces on alert for floods with more heavy rain on the horizon
- Zhejiang government urges departments to guard against deluge breaking river banks, large-scale urban floods and mass casualties
The provincial government’s water resources department on Tuesday raised the emergency response level to 2, the second most severe, as water levels in several hydrological stations approached flood-stage level after persistent heavy rain.
The flood level is based on the design for flood-control infrastructure and historical water level records.
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Xi Jinping urges all-out efforts as floods and droughts grip parts of China
Zhejiang authorities have urged all departments to safeguard “three bottom lines”, remaining vigilant against the risk of floods breaking river banks, large-scale and persistent flooding in urban areas and, a large number of casualties.
As Yangtze River levels have rapidly risen, the Three Gorges Dam has increased discharge volumes and the reservoir in Zhejiang’s Xinan River has opened more floodgates to release water.
In Zhejiang, more than 16,000 people in Jiande, Tonglu county and Fuyang district have been evacuated.
Provinces along the Yangtze River – including Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou and Sichuan as well as Shanghai and Chongqing municipalities – will receive persistent heavy rain on Wednesday and Thursday, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) forecast.