China braced for heavy summer floods as global warming blamed for extreme weather

More than 70 rivers have already exceeded warning levels and rain in some parts of the country hit record highs in recent weeks

Government warns of major floods through to August with water levels on the Yangtze and its tributaries set to rise further

Reading Time:2 minutes

Nanchang, a city in the eastern province of Jiangxi has already experienced high water levels along the Ganjiang. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 3:34pm, 26 May 2021Updated: 11:12pm, 26 May 2021

China is bracing for a heavy flood season with 71 rivers already exceeding warning levels, the state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday, as meteorological authorities warned that global warming is fuelling more extreme weather.

Rain in some parts of central and southern China has hit record highs in recent weeks even though overall precipitation is about 10 per cent lower this year compared with last year, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

Water levels on the Yangtze and its tributaries were expected to rise further over the next week, the ministry said, and it warned of major floods throughout the country from June to August.

Some monitoring stations are issuing alerts, with the Wuhan city section of the Yangtze River in central China more than two metres (6.5ft) higher than the normal at this time of the year as a result of heavy rain upstream.

Last summer, rainfall reached its second highest level since 1961, triggering flood alerts on major rivers and lakes and bringing water levels at the giant Three Gorges Dam close to their maximum.