Heavy rainfall across Beijing and large parts of northern and northeastern China has killed at least two people and forced thousands to evacuate, with authorities warning of more downpours and risks of flooding and landslides.
State broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday that two people had died and two others were missing in Hebei province, where the industrial city of Baoding was among the hardest hit. The county of Fuping saw a record rainfall of 145 millimetres (5.7 inches) per hour overnight.
China’s Ministry of Water Resources has issued flood warnings to 11 provinces and regions — including Beijing and Hebei — citing the potential for dangerous flooding in small and medium-sized rivers, as well as sudden mountain torrents.
In Beijing’s Miyun district, heavy rains and landslides have affected several villages, with the rural town of Fengjiayu being the worst hit. Power and communication lines were cut off in parts of the district, and more than 3,000 residents were relocated, according to Beijing News Radio.
Water flow into the Miyun Reservoir surged to a record high of 6,550 cubic metres (231,000 cubic feet) per second, Beijing authorities said.
The city’s meteorological observatory forecast further heavy rainfall, warning that areas including Miyun could receive more than 100 millimetres of rain in just six hours. It also cautioned that low-lying regions were at high risk of waterlogging.
A geological disaster alert was issued in Beijing on Saturday, warning of possible landslides and mudslides. The warning came after the second episode of rainfall in a year dropped an entire year’s worth of precipitation on parts of Baoding.
Northern China, typically drier than the country’s south, has faced increasing rainfall in recent years. Scientists have partly attributed the surge in precipitation to global warming.
The ongoing storms are linked to the East Asian monsoon, which has been fuelling extreme weather events across China and causing significant disruptions to daily life and economic activities.
In Baoding’s Xizhuang township, 540 millimetres (21 inches) of rain fell within eight hours — surpassing the area’s average annual rainfall of around 500 millimetres. The deluge affected more than 46,000 people, forcing 4,655 residents to evacuate, CCTV said.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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