Northern China braces for more heavy rainfall

Concerted disaster mitigation and relief efforts, including the relocation of affected individuals, are being conducted in northern China to address the challenges posed by extremely heavy rainfall.

Yin Li, Party secretary of Beijing, emphasized the urgent need to restore normalcy in the affected regions and effectively address ongoing flood risks.

Beijing experienced extremely heavy rainfall for 147 hours between July 23 and Tuesday, and this caused sudden mountain torrents in the city's northern areas such as Miyun, Huai-rou, Pinggu and Yanqing districts.

At 10 am on Sunday, the Beijing Meteorological Observatory issued a blue alert — the lowest level of China's four-tier weather warning system — for heavy rain, forecasting significant rainfall in Beijing from Monday afternoon to early Tuesday morning.

Cumulative precipitation could reach more than 50 millimeters in most areas of the city, while in certain mountainous regions, it could reach up to 100 mm, which might trigger secondary disasters such as mountain torrents and landslides, it said.

In China's weather warning system, a red alert is the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Meteorological observatories in Huairou and Miyun issued an orange alert for rainstorms on Sunday, indicating that from 11 pm on Sunday to 8 am on Tuesday, heavy rainfall is expected in those districts, with some areas receiving over 100 mm of rain.

The risk of disasters such as mountain torrents, debris flows and landslides is extremely high in mountainous and hilly areas, and waterlogging might occur in low-lying areas, it said.

As of Sunday morning, Huairou had implemented temporary scheduling measures for 55 bus routes, including suspension of 37 routes.

In neighboring Hebei province, in response to the rainfall forecast for parts of Xinglong county in the city of Chengde over the next three days, residents of seven villages in Liudaohe township have been relocated to a local middle school as a safety precaution.

The school has converted two dormitory buildings into a temporary shelter, providing over 800 beds and essential supplies to accommodate the displaced individuals.

Wang Xinyu, who is in charge of the settlement site at the school, said: "For the elderly, weak, sick or those who need special care, we will arrange separate rooms. At present, food is being supplied through external donations, and we have also purchased approximately 3,000 kilograms of vegetables, as well as rice, flour and oil."

A heavy rainstorm that hit Xinglong on July 28 left three people dead and four others missing at a vacation resort. Rescue operations continue at the site.

Tianjin's meteorological bureau upgraded its blue alert for rainstorms to yellow, the second-lowest level, early Sunday morning. But later on Sunday, the city lifted the alert for rainstorms.

Recent heavy rain caused damage to several villages in the city's Jizhou district. Responding promptly to recent rainstorm alerts, Jizhou had relocated 2,130 people by Saturday night.

To cope with waterlogging, more than 600 flood prevention workers from the Tianjin Drainage Management Center and over 400 social support personnel set in motion all drainage pumps to accelerate water removal. Main roads were cleared of water as of Sunday.

Besides northern China, some other parts of the nation are also facing the threat of heavy rain and flooding.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Water Resources activated a Level IV emergency response — the lowest level — for flooding in Gansu and Qinghai provinces as well as the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, following a forecast of heavy to torrential rainfall.

China has a four-tier emergency response system for flood control, with Level I being the most severe.

The ministry urged local authorities to closely monitor weather conditions and take necessary measures, and it has sent working groups to Qinghai and Ningxia to assist in flood control.

South China's Guangdong province issued a Level IV emergency response in anticipation of heavy rain on Sunday. The province is expected to face torrential rains from Sunday to Tuesday, potentially leading to flooding, mountain torrents, geological hazards and urban and rural waterlogging, the provincial meteorological service said.

The Emergency Management Bureau of Huidong county in Guangdong announced on Sunday that five people who had been hiking on a local mountain on Friday were confirmed dead.

Due to continuous heavy rainfall in recent days, as well as the area's complex terrain and swift water flow, members of a search and rescue operation that faced significant challenges found the bodies on Sunday, the bureau said.

Yang Cheng contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at?cangwei@chinadaily.com.cn