The Chinese Ministry of Irrigation has been deploying flood prevention since June 28 when a new heavy rain was forecast to affect the southern region of the country.
From June 28 to July 3, it is forecasted that most areas in the south of the Yangtze River, the east and south of southwestern China, the northwest of southern China and the south of Hubei province will experience heavy rain.
Some areas south of Anhui province, north of Jiangxi province, north of Hunan province, south of Hubei province, south of Guizhou province and northwest of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region are forecast to have very heavy rain.
Due to the impact of this heavy rain, water levels in many rivers in the Yangtze River basin, the Zhou River basin, the area around Taihu Lake, as well as in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces in eastern China are forecast to increase significantly.
The Chinese Ministry of Irrigation requests local water resource management agencies and river basin management units to closely monitor flood risks in key areas, strengthen forecasting and early warning, and promote flood prevention measures on medium and small rivers as well as flash floods in mountainous areas.
The Ministry also called for the rational operation of irrigation works, strengthening patrols and inspections of reservoirs and dykes, and at the same time implementing safety measures for works under construction during the rainy and flood season.
