Qingyuan enacts anti-flood safeguards as heavy rain pours

Due to the rising water level, navigation of the waterways in Lianjiang and some sections of Beijiang rivers have been temporarily suspended and traffic control measures have been implemented in Qingyuan in the northern part of Guangdong province starting Saturday afternoon.

According to a statement released by Qingyuan water conservancy authority, it aims to ensure navigation safety when the water level of local rivers have risen to above their warning levels.

Authorities urged relevant departments to introduce concrete and effective measures to prevent and fight against any geologic hazard that might occur after heavy downpours over the weekend.

The Beijiang River Basin is still experiencing rising water levels as of Sunday, with multiple rivers exceeding the warning level and the flood situation still developing, the statement said.

The northern section of Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway and some local highways are facing collapse risks, making the fight against flooding severe, it said.

On Sunday morning, the water levels of multi hydrological stations in Qingyuan had risen to above the warning lines, with Yingde 5 station's water level coming to 29.99 meters, which was 3.99 meters above the warning level, said the statement.

Affected by downpours, the flow of Shijiao Hydrological Station in Qingyuan, Beijiang River in the the Pearl River Basin rose to 12,000 cubic meters/second at 6:35 am on Sunday. The flow rate has broken the historical record set in April, 1980 when the maximum flow rate was 11,800 cubic meters per second.

Relevant departments have been urged to increase patrols and require local stores in low lying areas to cease business and get ready to evacuate the residents who might be affected by the flooding.

Guangdong provincial water conservancy department has sent special working teams to relevant cities that are being hit hard by the flood to help guide local anti-flooding work, with priorities to effectively safeguard people's lives and properties.

However, large and medium-sized reservoirs in the Pearl River basin are still on normal operation and relevant departments have not received reports of major flood disasters or major risks in water conservancy projects yet, as of Sunday morning, the statement said.

Also, no casualties have been reported, it added.

Local meteorological department has forecast the heavy rainfall to start weakening starting Monday.