16 rivers report floods above warning levels across China

Sixteen rivers across China were experiencing floods above warning levels as of 09:00 Tuesday, following recent heavy rainfall and upstream inflows, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

A numbered flood will occur in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province from Tuesday to Thursday under the combined impact of rainfall and upstream water inflows, forecasts say.

Medium and small rivers in the rainstorm zone, including the Ashi River (a tributary of the Songhua River in Heilongjiang), the Xun River (a tributary of the Hanjiang River in northwest China's Shaanxi Province), and the Heixi River (a tributary of the Wujiang River in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality), may experience floods exceeding the warning level.

From 08:00 Tuesday to 08:00 Wednesday, there is a high possibility of mountain flood disasters happening in western areas of southwest China's Yunnan Province.

The ministry issued an orange alert for flash floods at 08:00 Tuesday.

On Tuesday morning, the peak of the 2026 No.1 Flood of the Songhua River arrived at the hydrological station in Heilongjiang's Jiamusi City.

According to the Jiamusi Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, the flood peak reached the station at 08:00 Tuesday. As of 09:00 Tuesday, the water level at the Jiamusi section of the main Songhua River stood at 80.37 meters, 0.88 meters above the warning level.

Patrol personnel in Jiamusi's Yanjiang Town inspect the 14-kilometer river embankment of the town every four hours.

Jiamusi City has launched a Level-III flood control emergency response, mobilizing nearly 30,000 flood control personnel for 24-hour on-duty shifts. More than 100 hidden dangers on dams have been repaired, and 1,164 people in flood-stricken areas have been evacuated in advance.

A large amount of rescue supplies such as sand and gravel, water pumps and construction machinery have been pre-positioned at dangerous sections of rivers.

As of 09:00 Tuesday, the real-time water level at the Songhua River in Heilongjiang's Tongjiang City was 54.81 meters, 0.05 meters below the warning level, with the flood peak expected to arrive on August 8.

The real-time water level at the Heilongjiang River in Tongjiang City was 53.95 meters, 0.11 meters below the warning level, with the flood peak expected to arrive on August 9.

Tongjiang City has launched a flood control emergency response, focusing on flood preparedness work such as gate sealing and dam reinforcement.

Heavy rainfall has hit many areas in Chongqing Municipality in recent days.

According to monitoring data from the Chongqing Hydrological Monitoring General Station, from 08:00 Monday to 08:00 Tuesday, 17 districts and counties in Chongqing experienced rainstorms, with the maximum cumulative rainfall reaching 250 millimeters.

Affected by the rainfall, five rivers in Chongqing once exceeded the warning level, and all of them have dropped below the warning level so far. Another 77 medium and small rivers saw water levels rise by one to eight meters, with the highest water level not exceeding the warning level.

The water resources authorities predict that by 08:00 Wednesday, some medium and small rivers in southeastern and northeastern Chongqing may see water level rises of varying degrees, and a few individual rivers may exceed the warning level.

16 rivers report floods above warning levels across China

A 100-bed Ebola treatment center is expected to open this week in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, as a rapidly expanding outbreak strains health services in a region already affected by conflict and displacement.

At the Kigonze displacement site in Bunia, International Medical Corps has set up an eight-bed transit center to identify suspected cases, isolate patients and refer confirmed cases for treatment.

"As you can see here behind me, there is a barrier; this is the red zone. When a case is triaged here and suspected of being Ebola, the patient is referred to one of the isolation rooms located behind me. We have a capacity of eight beds here. From that point, we take over their care -- collecting the initial samples for testing. If the test result is negative after 48 hours, we run a second test. If both tests are negative, the person is discharged and returns home, receiving treatment for any other conditions associated with the initial suspicion," said Dr. Francis Bigirimwami Chibanvunya, a doctor at the Kigonze transit center.

The outbreak has compounded a severe humanitarian crisis in Ituri Province, where conflict and violence have displaced nearly 1 million people, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA.

Construction workers are putting the finishing touches on the new treatment center, which is intended to ease pressure on existing facilities operating at full capacity.

"IMC (International Medical Corps) will inaugurate this week the biggest treatment center of the country with a capacity 100 beds. At OCHA, we coordinate partners on the ground on the humanitarian response, but also through the humanitarian fund. We make sure they receive funding quickly to scale up the response," said Ramatoulaye Moussa Mazou, communications officer for OCHA in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The facility will separate suspected and confirmed cases and is expected to employ more than 300 people, expanding the capacity to detect, isolate and treat patients as the outbreak spreads.

"So, the work is nearing completion. It is a 100-bed facility - with a capacity of 100 beds - comprising 60 beds for confirmed cases and 40 beds for suspected cases. More than 300 staff members will be working at the center, and we are counting on the community to help accelerate the process of identifying cases," said Dr. Sambo Sidikou of International Medical Corps.

As of July 30, the DRC had reported 3,605 confirmed cases of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus, including 1,587 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 44 percent, the WHO said in its latest disease outbreak report.

New Ebola treatment center set to open as outbreak strains DR Congo