A water gate is checked for security before the arrival of typhoon in Quanfan village, Zhaojia town of Zhuji city, East China's Zhejiang province, Sept 19, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
BEIJING -- Chinese authorities have intensified efforts for flood prevention and control after three typhoons impacted the country's eastern and southern regions in the past few days.
Typhoon Bebinca made landfall near Shanghai's Lingang area of Pudong district on Sept 16, followed by Typhoon Pulasan, which struck Zhoushan in the neighboring Zhejiang province on Sept 19, making a second landfall in Shanghai's Fengxian district later the same day.
Additionally, Typhoon Soulik, which had made landfall in Vietnam on Sept 19, brought heavy rainfall to China's southern island province of Hainan.
From Sept 15 to 19, large parts of Zhejiang, Shanghai, northern and eastern Anhui, western and southern Jiangsu, and parts of Shandong and Henan experienced heavy to torrential rain. In certain areas, storms produced extreme rainfall.
According to the Ministry of Water Resources, water levels on Taihu Lake, China's third-largest freshwater lake situated near Shanghai, continued to rise, with 54 monitoring stations in the surrounding river network reporting flood levels surpassing safety thresholds. The water levels or flow rates of four small to medium-sized rivers in the region have surpassed their historically recorded readings.
While the impact of Typhoon Bebinca has now concluded, Typhoon Pulasan is expected to bring heavy to torrential rain to parts of eastern and northern Zhejiang, Shanghai, southern Jiangsu and southern Anhui from Sept 20 to 22.
Some areas may experience extremely heavy rainfall. Water levels in Taihu Lake could exceed warning thresholds. Rivers in the Taihu Lake basin and the Lixiahe area of Jiangsu, as well as the Qingyi and Shuiyang rivers in Anhui, which are both tributaries of the Yangtze River, are likely to see significant rises.
The ministry's flood and drought disaster prevention department has launched a coordinated response, closely monitoring Typhoon Pulasan and issuing rolling updates on rainfall, flooding and typhoon paths. Daily targeted warnings are being issued to ensure the safety of small and medium-sized reservoirs, as well as river and flash flood zones.
The Ministry of Water Resources has pre-emptively activated a Level-IV flood prevention emergency response for Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Coordinated response measures have been implemented, and three working teams have been dispatched to these regions to assist in flood prevention efforts related to the typhoon and heavy rainfall.
Shanghai has mobilized resources to enhance drainage. The Taihu Basin Authority of the Ministry of Water Resources, based in Shanghai, has activated a Level-IV emergency response for flood prevention.
Meanwhile, in Jiangsu, coordinated water diversion continued in areas such as Taihu Lake and Lixiahe. Zhejiang's water resources department has issued rolling flood forecasts and warnings for rivers, while inspecting high-risk areas for potential hazards.
