CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Monday, July 13, 2020 | 3 TOP NEWS

RAINY SEASON Farmers huddle in makeshift shelters

By LI LEI medicines and other basic necessi­ [email protected] ties in supply. A boiler was set up to provide hot drinking water. A handful of farmers discussed Heavy rains began lashing the the losses caused by the torrential north of the province on July 6, rains after a simple meal prepared pushing water levels in multiple by volunteers on Saturday night at rivers and lakes to dangerous a makeshift shelter in northern highs, according to the provincial Jiangxi province. flood control authorities. Beds were arranged in neat rows In response, local authorities at the shelter set up in local school deployed tens of thousands of fire­ facilities vacant for the summer fighters, officials and rescue work­ break. Bamboo mats and electric ers to help those affected. fans were handed out for relief Flood control authorities said during the sultry night. precipitation in Jiangxi has That was a common scene over reached an average of 214 millime­ the weekend in the six makeshift ters so far this month, quadrupling shelters in the town of Changzhou, the average of past years and hit­ Poyang county. ting a record high since 1950. Rain­ Persistent rainfall has wreaked fall in Nanchang, the provincial havoc in the township over the capital, and a number of cities past week, inundating residences including Jingdezhen, Jiujiang and fields of crops. and Shangrao have swelled to five The Rongjiang River spills over into the streets of the Rongshui Miao autonomous county in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on According to the Jiangxi Daily to six times normal. Saturday. ZHANG AILIN / XINHUA online news portal on Sunday, more About 4.4 million residents have than 3,000 Changzhou residents been affected by the flooding since have been relocated to such shelters. July 6, authorities said. More than Local branches of the women’s 352,000 were relocated. Some federation and the Red Cross 387,400 hectares of crops were deployed about 200 volunteers to affected, of which almost 59,000 Flood control situation grim provide psychological counseling hectares were ruined. The direct to those affected starting Friday. economic damage has reached 4.9 “It rained like dumping water, billion yuan ($700 million). Heavy precipitation before every flood season so that it and the flood soon overflowed the Huang Shengxiang, 58, who Huangmei county has raised experts’ Three Gorges Dam will have more space to accommo­ bank,” said 66­year­old Poyang found refuge in a shelter, told Xin­ R date incoming water surges. It can farmer Huang Guirong about the hua that he would have been pre­ E V I handle a water level of up to 175 river in front of her home. paring for the rice harvest were it worries about small Hubei R E Z T G meters. She was among 500 villagers not for the flooding. N A and midsize rivers Y But “great uncertainties” remain taken in military boats to a local “All my 300 mu (20 hectares) of rice in precipitation this year, and that shelter on Thursday. She told Xin­ was flooded, and the loss is estimated By HOU LIQIANG will complicate the flood control hua News Agency that her family at more than 300,000 yuan,” he said. [email protected] situation along the midsize and had fled to the roof to await rescue. Another farmer, Huang Yuqin, Jiujiang small rivers, whose water control Xinhua reported that the school hoped the floodwaters would soon Stronger rainfall, a prolonged Poyang Lake facilities lag behind. where Huang’s family took shelter recede. “If the flood recedes in 20 rainy season and uncertain weath­ Poyang county Forecasts done at the beginning had instant noodles, bottled water, days, we’ll still have a chance to er conditions have merged to create Hunan of the year all pointed to there bamboo mats, toilet requisites, replant the paddies,” she said. Jiangxi a grim flood control situation in being more precipitation this year. China this year, particularly along But opinions differ on which area midsize and small rivers, according CHINA DAILY will be affected more. “There are to experts. big uncertainties,” Cheng said. As of Saturday, meteorological caster at the center. Flood control capabilities in It is also hard to predict what pla­ authorities had issued alerts for An extended Plum Rains season major rivers are “completely differ­ ces are the center of downpours, torrential rainfall every day for cer­ this year has also brought more ent” from those in 1998. While a even though forecasts can be tain regions of China. Some obser­ rainfall. Plum Rains, often occur­ series of water conservancy pro­ increasingly accurate on what are­ vation stations along the Yangtze ring in June and July, refer to the jects have begun operations since as are to be affected as torrential River witnessed the water levels long period of continuous rainy or 2000, including the Three Gorges rains approaches, he noted. exceeding those of 1998, when cloudy weather in the middle and Dam on the Yangtze, the reinforce­ “People and materials for flood major floods killed more than lower reaches of the Yangtze River. ment of dikes along major rivers control are limited. If the forecasts 4,000 people in the country. Many The name is a reference to the time has been completed, said Cheng, can confirm the affected areas, we are worried about another disas­ that plums ripen in the region. also former head of the institute for know where we should dispatch trous flooding year. This year’s Plum Rains season flood control and disaster relief at the people and materials. When Risks loom, especially for the vul­ began five to seven days earlier the China Institute of Water there are uncertainties, we have to nerable midsize and small rivers than normal in the southern region Resources and Hydropower roll out precautionary measures where many dikes have not and along the Yangtze, according to Research. here and there. The uncertainty received adequate funding and the China Meteorological Adminis­ “We now have more confidence itself is a kind of risk,” Cheng said. Children rest in bed after finishing their homework on Saturday maintenance for years, experts tration. to say that we can better prevent He said COVID­19 epidemic con­ night at a makeshift shelter in Poyang county, Jiangxi province, aft­ said. “The season has come earlier, extraordinary floods,” he said. trol measures also complicated the er flooding from continuous heavy rainfall inundated residences. Rainfall in China since June has and it’s expected to continue later Wang, of the National Climate flood­control situation this year. ZHANG ZIWANG / FOR CHINA DAILY far exceeded the average for the peri­ this year,” said Wang Yongguang, Center, said the Three Gorges Dam Previously, local governments were od, meteorological records show. chief forecaster at the National Cli­ plays a big role in helping mitigate responsible for investing in flood Between June 1 and July 7, the mate Center. floods. control projects on midsize and average precipitation along the Instead of ending as usual in the “The dam can discharge water as small rivers, most of whose dikes Yangtze River Basin reached 347 later part of the first 10 days of July, needed based on water levels in the are earthen. Some governments, Troops take a moment millimeters, the second­highest the season may linger until the middle and lower reaches of the however, were too financially over­ amount since 1961. It even exceed­ middle of the month, putting great Yangtze to help relieve the flood burdened to make adequate invest­ ed the 1998 level for the period by pressure on flood control efforts control pressure in the mainstream ments, Cheng said. for comrade’s birthday 15 millimeters, according to the along the Yangtze River, he said. of the river. There was no Three Though the central government National Meteorological Center. Gorges Dam to facilitate flood con­ has been investing in these projects By LI HONGYANG Many areas have seen unprece­ Forecast bodes ill trol efforts in 1998,” he said. since it initiated a national cam­ [email protected] dented daily precipitation this year. Wang said that rainfall in the The Yangtze’s first flood this year paign to ramp up flood control Thirty­one national meteorological middle and lower reaches of the came at the dam on July 2 with a management in key sections of Huang Jianing, a soldier who monitoring stations in seven pro­ Yangtze, and in Yunnan and Gui­ peak flow rate of 53,000 cubic these rivers in 2009, dike reinforce­ just turned 20, spent his birthday vincial regions, mostly in middle zhou provinces, will be heavier meters per second, raising the res­ ment there cannot be completed in on a riverbank fighting the flood­ and lower reaches of the Yangtze, than normal in July. ervoir’s water level to 149 meters. the short term, he said. ing in Hubei province on Saturday. saw record high daily precipitation The excessive rainfall has posed “The current flood situation in In addition, the maintenance of During a brief interval in the in July. Meteorological stations in challenges to China’s flood control the Yangtze’s main course is not dikes is mainly conducted in the work, dozens of soldiers sat 13 counties, 10 of which are in efforts, but experts are mostly con­ particularly severe, so the reser­ winter and spring, which has also around a cake on the muddy Jiangxi province, reported all­time cerned about small and midsize voir’s flood storage capacity has yet been hampered this year because ground and sang a happy birthday high precipitation, according to the rivers. to be fully utilized,” Bao Zhengfeng, social movement was restricted at song for Huang, video footage center. “Currently, the flood control an official at the Three Gorges Cas­ that time for the control of COVID­ released by their troop shows on In the most extreme circum­ pressure in the country is more on cade Dispatch and Communication 19 pandemic. the Chinese social media platform stance, Xishui county, Hubei midsize and small rivers,” said Center, was quoted as saying in a Sina Weibo. province, had 999 millimeters of Cheng Xiaotao, a member of the Xinhua News Agency report pub­ Inside “I hope the flood will go away as precipitation from July 4 to 9, expert committee of the National lished on Wednesday. soon as possible,” Huang said. said Zhang Fanghua, chief fore­ Disaster Reduction Committee. The reservoir discharges water Editorial, page 9 The birthday boy said he has been serving in the army for a year and is always expecting to do something meaningful. “I think Huang Jianing spends a spe­ Efforts: Regions in lower reaches of Yangtze lift response level fighting floods is the thing. cial birthday on a riverbank Despite a whole night’s work, I while fighting the flood on Sat­ still feel energetic.” urday in Hubei province. From page 1 above the danger level on Sunday and After the activation of the highest region from 4 pm on Sunday. The 55­second video clip got PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY was still rising, local authorities said. flood­control response level on Satur­ The water level in Taihu Lake has tens of thousands of likes on Wei­ A total of 190 boats, 3,000 tents, Faced with the grim situation, the day in Jiangxi, over 53,000 people remained above its warning level for bo, with many netizens wishing 10,000 folding beds and 10,000 blan­ government in Jiujiang, Jiangxi, were mobilized to fight the flood, 15 days as it continues to rise. It Huang happy birthday and safety Most of the work had to be done kets have been sent to Jiangxi to decided on Sunday to evacuate resi­ including 6,525 from the Jiangxi Pro­ reached 4.45 meters at 8 am on Sun­ for him and his fellow soldiers. by hand because engineering vehi­ facilitate flood control and disaster dents from its Jiangzhou Island. All vincial Military Command and 2,537 day, 1 millimeter higher than it was Top comments under the foot­ cles were unable to approach the relief work, according to the Minis­ people younger than 18 or older than from the People’s Armed Police. 24 hours before and 0.65 meters age included “Happy birthday, our riverbank surrounded by soaked try of Emergency Management. 65 will be evacuated before Monday. “We will prioritize safeguarding above its danger level. hero”, “Be sure to return safely”, farmland. Soldiers had to make Early on Sunday morning, the People aged between 18 and 65, apart people’s lives and make every effort A forecast from the National Mete­ and “It is wonderful that young wooden structures, fill and then water level at Poyang Lake’s Xingzi from those who are sick or disabled, to fight against these historic orological Center said the middle and people born in the 2000s are transport sandbags in a relay and hydrological station had risen to 22.53 have to stay to help fight the flood. floods,” said Xu Weiming, secretary­ lower reaches of the Yangtze will con­ shouldering the responsibility to pile them up. meters, 1 centimeter higher than the From July 6 to Sunday, floods had general of the Jiangxi Flood Control tinue to be lashed by rainfall before protect the people”. On Saturday, the soldiers com­ record in 1998, according to the pro­ affected about 5.5 million people in and Drought Relief Headquarters. Thursday. After that, precipitation in On Wednesday, flooding caused pleted a 200­meter­long, 5­meter­ vince’s water resources department. Jiangxi, with 475,000 people being Other provinces in the lower the region will tend to weaken. a 200­meter breach at a riverbank high flood wall, and the breach Incessant downpours and evacuated from flood­prone areas. reaches of the Yangtze River have also in a village in Huangmei county, was closed up. upstream inflows have kept the Floods also damaged over lifted their response level. The Jiang­ Wang Jian in Jiangxi contributed Hubei province, putting villagers’ However, they are still on guard, water level in the lake above its dan­ 510,000 hectares of crops and su Flood Control and Drought Relief to this story. lives in great danger. More than as heavy rain is expected to con­ ger level since July 5, it said. caused direct economic losses of Headquarters activated the second­ 1,000 soldiers were dispatched to tinue in Hubei province in the The water level of the Jiujiang sec­ 8.13 billion yuan ($1.16 billion) in highest response level for the Jiangsu Contact the writers at help fight the flood, and Huang coming days, according to mete­ tion of the Yangtze River was 3 meters Jiangxi, the headquarters said. section of the Yangtze and Taihu Lake [email protected] was one of them. orological authorities.