China raises flood emergency response to level III in Guangdong amid heavy rains forecast

Beijing [China], April 22 : China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters has raised the flood emergency response warning for Guangdong province from level IV to level III, as it is forecasted that rainfall will continue in the region, leading to rising water levels in several rivers including the Beijiang River in the Pearl River basin, the China-based Global Times reported, citing the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM).
Since April 16, the Pearl River basin has been facing heavy rainfall, causing 44 rivers to reach flood levels surpassing official warnings. According to the Pearl River Water Resources Commission under the Ministry of Water Resources, the exceedance ranges between 0.01 to 7.04 meters.
At 8:45 pm (local time) on Saturday, the water flow of the Beijiang River at the Shijiao hydrological station reached 12,000 cubic metres per second, experiencing its second flood event of the year, according to the water resources ministry.
The Beijiang River basin is expected to face a once-in-a-century flood, the Global Times reported, citing media reports. According to the Guangdong Municipal Water Resources Authority, the river had its first flood of 2024 on April 8, which was the earliest occurrence since flood records for major Chinese rivers started in 1998.
The Pearl River water resources authorities raised the flood control emergency response to level II on Sunday, as the water level of the Beijiang River will continue to rise and potentially result in major flooding.
China has a four-tier flood control emergency response system, with level I being the most severe response. As of Saturday, the cumulative rainfall in various regions in Guangdong has broken the historical record for rainfall in April, according to Guangdong water resources authorities, according to Global Times report.
To prevent heightened risk, the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) said that technical equipment has been deployed to help in efforts related to the Beijiang River embankment in Guangdong. In addition, the working groups have been deployed to assist and guide flood control and disaster relief efforts in various areas, like Shaoguan and Qingyuan in Guangdong.
China's National Meteorological Centre issued an orange alert for rainstorms on Sunday, as heavy rainfall is expected to continue in various regions, including Guangdong. China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
Some of the regions in Guangdong have continuously strengthened the deployment of anti-flood measures, emphasising the need to bolster efforts in various areas and prevent the occurrence of secondary disasters like landslides caused by flooding.
On Sunday, some districts in Qingyuan said that they would suspend classes for primary, and secondary schools, and kindergartens. The local maritime department shut navigation services due to the effect of the heavy rainfalls, Global Times reported citing authorities.
Speaking to Global Times, an official from the Qingyuan local emergency department said that they have opened a 24-hour hotline for people to report disaster and danger information to ensure that emergency response can be conducted immediately.
According to authorities, multiple cultural and sports venues have been closed since Saturday in Shaoguan, as heavy rain to torrential rain continued to lash the region, with an average rainfall of 231.4 millimetres throughout the city.
A resident with the surname Yao said that vehicles had been submerged by floodwaters and electricity was cut off in some regions of Shaoguan. Yao said, "Luckily, my community is located in a relatively higher region, which hasn't been impacted too much."
The resident stated that the rain had stopped on Sunday morning. However, Yao added that heavy rain in the past two days has led to severe urban flooding, the report said.
As of 8 pm on Saturday, some 96,000 families in Shaoguan faced power outages caused by heavy rainfall. According to the local authorities on Sunday, power has been restored in half of those impacted regions, while the Shaoguan power supply bureau has been making efforts to repair the remaining areas without power.