Severe flooding in Zhaoqing, Shaoguan, and Qingyuan in Guangdong province. Mainland netizens are discussing the causes of the flooding, with some questioning whether the authorities intentionally released floodwaters to protect downstream Guangzhou.
On April 21, numerous videos about the flooding in Guangdong circulated on mainland social media platforms. The videos showed widespread flooding in Zhaoqing, Shaoguan, and Qingyuan, with buildings submerged, cars swept away, and water levels reaching adult chest heights. Some netizens reported communication disruptions in Jiangwan Town, Wujiang District, Shaoguan, where contact with the town was impossible. The Yangcheng Evening News reported that authorities in Wujiang District confirmed the ongoing communication blackout in Jiangwan Town, and the exact number of casualties is still unknown.
Netizens are discussing the reasons for the flooding beneath official announcements of flood releases. According to Chinese state media, on the 21st, apart from Zhanjiang and some cities and counties in eastern Guangdong, the entire province was under the influence of a thunderstorm system, with a total of 70 rainstorm warnings issued. Some rivers have exceeded flood warning levels. In Qingyuan, the Feilaixia hydraulic hub’s spill gates have all been opened, operating in full discharge mode.
Netizens are questioning: “Why not release water in advance?” “My home is about 2 kilometers from the power station, and they released water in advance, preventing worse flooding. if they hadn’t, it would have been much worse.” Another netizen revealed, “If they open just one gate downstream will flood, but if they release a little bit to let it flow, Qingyuan won’t flood. They prioritize flooding Guangzhou over other areas to minimize losses.”
“Isn’t it a bit too late to release water now? If they had started earlier, there wouldn’t have been such disasters. Now releasing water harms both themselves and others downstream, causing further damage.” “Last year, we almost ran out of drinking water due to mismanagement.”
“The reservoir’s capacity fills up quickly during heavy rain.” “If they don’t release water now, both upstream and downstream will suffer.” “If the dam collapses, it will be a disaster for downstream areas.”
“What does opening all 15 gates mean?” “It means disaster for downstream areas.” “It means flooding up to the second floor for us.” “Opening all 15 gates will bring calamity to the villagers downstream.”
“Qingyuan downstream is our Foshan area, and we rely on Sanshui District to hold the line. Sanshui District has three major rivers flowing into the sea. If Foshan can’t hold on, Guangzhou is in trouble.” “Part of Zhaoqing is a designated flood discharge area. In a real emergency, to protect Guangzhou, the floodwater would be diverted to Foshan.”
Some netizens even depicted the flooding in a dialogue format: “Guangxi: I’m going to release floodwaters, Zhaoqing, hold on; Zhaoqing: I’m releasing floodwaters, Foshan, hold on; Shaoguan: I’m releasing floodwaters, Qingyuan, hold on; Qingyuan: I’m releasing floodwaters, Foshan, hold on; Guangzhou: Foshan, hold on, don’t release floodgates; Foshan: Keep holding on.”
Regardless, the situation depicted paints a dire picture of the flooding situation in Guangdong province, prompting discussions on both the causes and potential solutions to mitigate future disasters.