|
Water levels in the Jiangsu section of China's longest river
continued to rise on Wednesday as a result of the increased flow
from its upper reaches as well as the persistent rainfall.
Nanjing, the capital of China's eastern Jiangsu province issued
its second highest flood warning and authorities banned various
vessels, including passenger ferries, from entering or operating
in the river's Jiangsu section, state media reported.
China's Ministry of Water Resources had said on Tuesday that
water levels in sections of the middle and lower courses of the
Yangtze River exceeded the warning mark.
Water levels at Poyang Lake in Jiangxi province, where
authorities had activated a second-level response for flood
control since Tuesday night, were also being closely watched.
The country's largest freshwater lake logged its highest water
level in July 2020 at 22.6 metres.
Heavy rainfall pounded parts of central China's Hunan province
earlier this week, causing the Miluo River in Pingjiang county
to swell to its highest level in 70 years.
Local authorities in Hunan activated the maximum emergency
response level and state media showed large parts of its town
waterlogged, as well as stranded people being rescued on boats.
About 340,000 people in China were affected and businesses were
hit. A factory producing spicy snacks said it would shut for
five days affected by water outages, traffic blockages and
disrupted communication lines.
The rain is expected to begin dissipating from the southern
regions, and forecasters said warmer temperatures could follow
as rain clouds that kept areas cooler than normal drift away.
The rain belt causing floods in areas around the middle and
lower course of China's Yangtze River will begin to shift
northwards from Wednesday night.
Torrential rain is expected in provinces including Sichuan,
Chongqing, and parts of Hubei, Henan and Shandong, China's
National Meteorological Center said.
The rainfall would be welcome in northern areas afflicted with
drought, but continuous rains may cause secondary disasters,
weather experts warned in the national forecast.
(Reporting by Liz Lee, Ella Cao and Shanghai newsroom; Editing
by Alexander Smith)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All
rights reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
