China – Flooding Worsens in Guizhou and Chongqing

by in Asia, News

The flood situation has worsened in Guizhou Province, southwest China, with 74,000 people now affected in 12 counties or cities, including Tongzi and Huishui Counties, Zunyi, Tongren and Qiandongnan. Three fatalities were previously reported in Tongzi.

Heavy rain in the area has increased river levels in neighbouring Chongqing municipality, where the Qijiang river reached historic levels. On 22 June, the Qijiang river at Wucha in Jiangjin District, jumped more than 5 metres above flood level, standing at 205.56 metres. The Puhe River in the district was also extremely high, reaching around 0.5 metres above flood level at Shijiaozhen in Qijiang district around the same period.

Authorities said a total of 43,725 people were affected and hundreds of houses damaged or destroyed in Qijiang District of Chongqing as of 22 June. Local media reports suggest between 40,000 and 100,000 people have been displaced across Chongqing.

The Qijiang river is a tributary of the Yangtze which flows through the city of Chongqing and on to the Three Gorges Dam. As of 25 June, water levels of the dam stood at 146.34 metres, just centimetres under warning level of 146.5 metres, according to China’s National Water and Rain Information service.

Rivers and dams are also extremely high in eastern parts of China. Local authorities in Anhui Province have begun a wide scale release of water in dams and reservoirs. In neighbouring Zhejiang Province, rivers exceeded warning levels in at least 7 locations, as of 25 June.

Over the last 24 hours, heavy rainfall has affected Guizhou’s southern neighbour, Guangxi Province. According to figures from China’s National Meteorological Center, Wuming recorded 257.4 mm of rain in 24 hours to 25 June, Qinzhou 192.8 mm and Debao 148.4 mm.

Over 11 Million Affected by Floods since May

According to China’s Ministry of Emergency Management, as of 24 June, flood disasters that began in late May have affected 11.22 million people in 26 provincial regions, including Guangxi, Guizhou, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Chongqing.

A total of 571,000 people have been displaced after flooding damaged 171,000 homes and destroyed 9,300.

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