More Chinese regions up flood response levels

Several provincial-level regions have upgraded their flood response levels, as of Monday, after heavy rains swelled rivers and lakes in many parts of China.

East China’s Zhejiang Province on Monday raised its emergency flooding response level from the fourth to the third, as meteorological authorities predicted intense rain in the cities of Hangzhou, Huzhou, and Jiaxing.

Authorities said many rivers in the province’s main plain area had seen waters rising above the alert levels on Monday.

Chongqing City in southwest China also announced on Monday that it has initiated a level-three response to flooding after torrential downpours pushed up water levels in local rivers.

The city said it had coordinated water storage capacities at hydropower stations along the Wujiang River, a main tributary of the Yangtze River, to cope with the mounting flooding pressure.

On Sunday, provinces of Hubei and Hunan in central China raised their flooding responses to the third level, while Anhui Province in east China raised its rainstorm response to the second level.

The city of Qianjiang in Hubei Province upgraded its emergency response for flood control from Grade III to Grade I, the highest of the four-tier system.

Qianjiang is the first city in Hubei to issue the top-level flooding alert this year, according to the local flood control and drought relief headquarters.

Torrential rain has been pounding the city over the past days, which has led to serious waterlogging and damage to farmlands.

Heavy downpours are forecast to persist in the coming days. Wuhan, capital of Hubei, upgraded its emergency response for flood control from Grade III to Grade II.

A rain-triggered landslide early Monday has left three people dead and one missing in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, local authorities said.