BEIJING, July 7 — China has deployed flood-control and emergency response measures as Typhoons Maysak and Bavi are expected to bring heavy rainfall and heighten flood risks in several river basins across the country, according to the Ministry of Water Resources on Tuesday.
The ministry held a consultation to analyze the development and potential impact of the two typhoons and arrange measures for flood prevention and handling potential emergencies.
Recent extreme rainstorms triggered by Typhoon Maysak, the 10th typhoon of the year, have caused severe flooding in parts of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the Pearl River basin.
Continued rain and flooding could pose further threats, the ministry said. Earlier on Tuesday, Guangxi upgraded its flood alert to the highest-level red warning, which was quickly followed by another flood red alert issued by neighboring Guangdong Province.
The ministry said Typhoon Maysak is expected to continue affecting China through July 9, bringing significant rises in rivers across the Pearl, Yangtze, Huaihe and Songliao river basins, with some rivers expected to exceed warning levels.
From July 10, Super Typhoon Bavi is expected to approach China’s eastern coast and affect the country’s six major river basins for about a week, bringing a high risk of flood-related disasters.
The ministry urged efforts to strengthen flood prevention in Guangxi, improve monitoring and early warning systems, ensure reservoir safety, guard against mountain torrents and flooding in small and medium-sized rivers, and enhance inspections of dikes and water conservancy projects.
China’s weather in recent days has also been influenced by a cold vortex over northeast China and the southwest monsoon, with heavy rainfall triggering floods in parts of northeast, north and south China, causing casualties and house collapses. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
