Southwest China's Rongjiang County lifts emergency response to top level as new flood wave hits

A new wave of flooding has prompted authorities in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, to escalate its flood emergency response to the highest Level, as rising waters threaten local communities and force evacuations.

According to hydrological forecasts, the Shihuichang Hydrological Station on the Duliu River is expected to register a peak water level of 253.5 meters around 17:00 on Saturday. This level exceeds the guaranteed safety threshold of 251.5 meters by two meters, with an anticipated flood discharge rate of 8,360 cubic meters per second.

In response, the Rongjiang County Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters announced that the county raised its emergency response from Level II to Level I — the most severe classification — effective from 12:30 on Saturday.

Local government departments have begun relocating residents from the urban center to designated safe zones. Several rural townships, including Dingwei and Tashi (home to Yao and Shui ethnic communities), have reported severe flood damage and are currently coordinating the evacuation of affected residents.

This latest escalation comes just days after Rongjiang County was hit by severe flooding that began on June 24. At that time, officials also raised the emergency response to Level I. By June 26, six people had been confirmed dead as a result of the disaster.

China has a four-tier emergency response system for flood control, with Level I being the most severe, and a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.

Southwest China's Rongjiang County lifts emergency response to top level as new flood wave hits

Southwest China's Rongjiang County lifts emergency response to top level as new flood wave hits

Southwest China's Rongjiang County lifts emergency response to top level as new flood wave hits

Southwest China's Rongjiang County lifts emergency response to top level as new flood wave hits

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday presided over a State Council executive meeting that studied work on building a unified national market and reviewed and approved a plan for the development of a modern emergency response system during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

Noting that building a unified national market is essential to advancing high-quality development, the meeting called for deepening institutional frameworks in areas such as property rights protection, market access, fair competition, social credit and market exit mechanisms.

The meeting also urged efforts to advance high-standard connectivity of market infrastructure to facilitate smooth economic circulation and effectively reduce logistics costs across society.

Emergency management is critical to protecting people's lives and property, the meeting said. It called for accelerating the development of a modern emergency response system, deepening reform and innovation in emergency management, and improving coordinated response mechanisms.

Efforts should be made to strengthen risk prevention at the source, enhance monitoring, forecasting and early warning, and accelerate a shift in governance toward proactive prevention, according to the meeting.

A draft revision of the Law on the People's Bank of China was also discussed and approved in principle at the meeting, which decided to submit the draft to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation.

Chinese premier chairs State Council executive meeting