South China Faces Second Flood Crisis, Puts Millions at Risk

Major rivers, waterways and reservoirs in China’s Guangdong province are threatening to unleash dangerous floods, forcing the government on Sunday to enact emergency response plans to protect more than 127 million people. Responding to this critical situation, the government has activated emergency protocols to safeguard lives and property.

Calling the situation “grim”, local weather officials said sections of rivers and tributaries at the Xijiang and Beijiang river basins are hitting peak water levels that only happen once in 50 years, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday.

In anticipation of the impending disaster, Guangdong officials have urged all local departments to mobilize emergency measures to prevent catastrophes. Efforts include swift allocation of relief funds and resources to ensure affected individuals have access to essential provisions such as food, shelter, and clothing.

“Please look at Zhaoqing’s Huaiji county, which has become a water town. The elderly and children at the countryside don’t know what to do with power outages and no signal,” said one user on the popular social media site Weibo.

Raging muddy flood waters swept one vehicle down a narrow street in Zhaoqing, showed a video released by Hongxing News.

“It rained like a waterfall for an hour and a half on the highway driving home last night,” said another Weibo user. “I couldn’t see the road at all.”

Many hydrological stations in the province are exceeding water levels, weather officials warned, and in the provincial capital Guangzhou, a city of 18 million, reservoirs have reached flood limits, city officials announced on April 21.

Data showed 2,609 hydrological stations with daily rainfall greater than 50mm, accounting for about 59 per cent of all observation stations. At 8am on April 21, 27 hydrological stations in Guangdong were on alert.

Meanwhile, neighboring Guangxi region has also been ravaged by extreme weather conditions, with state media footage capturing scenes of violent winds wreaking havoc on buildings. Reports indicate instances of hailstorms and widespread flooding, necessitating urgent rescue efforts to aid stranded individuals, including the elderly.

The unfolding crisis underscores the urgent need for coordinated efforts at both local and national levels to mitigate the impact of the disaster and ensure the safety and well-being of affected communities.