China's Ministry of Water Resources is making multifaceted efforts to minimize the impacts of river flooding across the country.
Since Thursday, continuous and widespread heavy rainfall has caused at least 17 rivers across the country to swell past their flood warning levels, including in the capital city Beijing and its neighboring Hebei Province, posing serious threat to people's lives and property in densely populated areas.
As of 15:00 Sunday, multiple rivers flowing through Beijing and Hebei, including the Yongding River and the Daqing River, had all experienced record flooding. Beijing's largest reservoir in the northeastern suburban district of Miyun had seen its heaviest water inflow since its construction was completed in 1959.
To mitigate flood risks, the authorities have adopted a systematic flood management strategy, making full use of all water projects while ensuring that reservoirs and dams remain safe during floods.
As more precipitation is expected in China's northern, northeastern, and southern regions in the coming days, the Ministry of Water Resources is focusing on enhancing rain and flood forecasts, analyzing extreme weather patterns, stepping up monitoring on flood-prone rivers, reinforcing river embankments and levees, and issuing early warning in a timely manner, among other precautionary efforts.
"There will be further rainfall in the coming days. It is expected that the North Canal and the Guanting Gorge section of the Yongding River in Beijing, as well as the Juma River, the Tanghe River, and the Shahe River - all tributaries of the Daqing River in Hebei Province - will experience a significant rise in their water levels. It is also possible that some small and medium-sized rivers could see their water levels swell past the flood warning thresholds," Yin Zhijie, chief forecaster at the Ministry of Water Resources' Hydrology Department, told China Central Television.
The ministry has issued targeted warnings to several provinces and regions, including Beijing and Hebei, for floods arising from small and medium-sized rivers and gushing torrents from mountains.
Water Resources Ministry beefs up efforts to mitigate flood impacts
