Ministry warns of flood risk in north, drought in south

The Ministry of Water Resources has warned of the increased occurrence of torrential rains and flooding in northern China, as well as a drought-prone scenario in typically water-rich southern regions, as the nation enters peak flood season.

The weather pattern of a heightened risk of flooding in the north and significant potential for drought in the south is expected to persist through July and August, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Throughout this period, four to five typhoons are forecast to either make landfall on the country's mainland or have a significant impact there. Some of the storms might extend into northern China, increasing the potential for disaster risks, the ministry said.

It highlighted the potential risk of flooding in the basins of four major rivers in northern China — the Yellow, Huaihe, Haihe and Songhua rivers. For instance, in the Haihe River Basin, where Beijing is located, the Zhangwei, Ziya, Daqing and Yongding rivers are expected to face significant flooding.

The areas around Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake, in Jiangxi province, the Qiantang River in Zhejiang province in eastern China, the Minjiang River in Fujian province in southern China, and central and northern parts of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region may suffer drought, the ministry said.

Chu Minghua, deputy director of the ministry's Department of Flood and Drought Disaster Prevention, disclosed that so far this year, the overall runoff of major rivers across the country is about 20 percent below the normal level for this period.

However, Chu said that reservoirs across the country have stored more water to help cope with potential drought.

"In total, about 471.8 billion cubic meters of water are currently stored in 9,520 reservoirs across the country, creating a favorable condition for coping with drought," he said.

He emphasized the measures that the ministry will roll out to reduce risks brought about by mountain torrents, which can occur suddenly and result in significant casualties.

The ministry will carry out inspections in a continuous manner to eliminate safety hazards, with special attention paid to densely populated settlements and tourist attractions along valleys and watercourses, he said.

One of the priorities, for example, is to create tailored evacuation plans for areas with large non-native, mobile populations, including construction sites and places that offer recreation and entertainment activities centered on agricultural themes, he said.

He also said the ministry will enhance the monitoring, forecasting and early warning of mountain torrents.

In addition to issuing mountain torrent disaster risk forecasts each day at 8 am and 6 pm for the following 24 hours, the ministry will also publish mountain torrent early warnings every two hours around the clock, he said. Furthermore, a list of areas at high risk will be sent to each provincial-level region on a daily basis.

The ministry will adopt a "grid-based" strategy to manage risks emerging from mountain torrents to ensure the timely evacuation of residents facing safety hazards.

"Those who need to be evacuated should be relocated as soon as possible, with no one left behind," he said.