Recently, China’s southern region has been hit by heavy rainfall, triggering flood disasters; while the southern floods are wreaking havoc, severe drought is affecting the northern part of China. It seems that heavy floods in the south and severe droughts in the north have become a norm in China.
On the afternoon of July 5th, a breach occurred in the dike of Huarong Township, Yuanbei Village, Tuanzhou Wharf, Dongting Lake, Huaihua County, Hunan Province, resulting in the inundation of the area, causing damage to houses and forcing people to evacuate, resulting in significant economic losses.
Chinese media reported that the breach in Dongting Lake occurred around 3:30 PM on July 5th, and by 10 PM that day, the breach had widened to 8 meters wide and 150 meters long. By 11 AM on July 6th, the breach had extended to 226 meters long.
After the breach, local residents used multiple trucks to try to block the gap. However, photos online showed that the road was washed away by floodwater, with trucks overturned on the ground. The authorities also dispatched eight trucks to seal off the breach, but due to the large volume of water, all the trucks were washed away. Local residents told Chinese media reporters that even if they blocked the middle, the flood would still gush out from both sides, resulting in limited effectiveness.
Videos posted by netizens showed that initially, the local government tried to block the breach with trucks filled with loose sand, but it was ineffective, and the breach continued to widen. Photos online also showed that the flood submerged the entire village, leaving only the roofs of many houses exposed above the water.
Chinese media reported that prior to this, Hunan had experienced nearly 20 days of heavy rainfall, with precipitation reaching 864.7 millimeters, 43.9% higher than usual, marking the highest rainfall since 1961.
This year, southern China has been plagued by frequent heavy rains and flood disasters. Most recently, continuous heavy rainfall has affected central and southern China, causing floods in many areas along the Yangtze River, affecting over a million people. In mid-June, provinces such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and Hunan were hit by heavy rainfall, leading to casualties and significantly affecting residents’ lives.
From June 13th to 19th, Guangxi experienced persistent heavy and torrential rainfall. The Li River Hydrological Station in Guilin recorded a flood that occurs once every “30 years.” On June 20th, 38 meteorological observation stations in Guilin surpassed historical record rainfall levels.
Meizhou, in Guangdong Province, was one of the hardest-hit areas during this disaster. On June 16th, heavy rain and locally heavy rain were reported in several areas of the city. In Sishui Town, Pinyuan County, there was 369.3 millimeters of rainfall in a 24-hour period, causing severe damage in many areas of the city.
A villager in Xinpu Town, Jiaoling County, severely affected by the disaster, told Chinese media reporters, “Chickens, ducks, cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs, as well as the furniture and appliances in my home, are all gone.” Many villagers mentioned that this was an unprecedented “never seen before” flood.
In a village in Jiaoling County, there is a house with a history of over 30 years. The residents’ ancestors had marked the highest flood level in the past, which was only 26 centimeters and had not been seen for decades. However, during this flood, the water level inside the house reached 3 meters, even flooding the second floor.
In addition to the floods themselves, frequent geological disasters have occurred. Multiple landslides have appeared in Nanyan Town in Meizhou, posing a high risk as many houses are built on the mountainside and could collapse at any time due to the danger. Meanwhile, many roads and bridges have been washed away by floods.
Apart from Guangdong and Guangxi, severe flooding has also affected Longyan in Fujian and Changde in Hunan.
In April of this year, the Pearl River Basin in Guangdong experienced the earliest major flood of China’s main rivers since 1998. Subsequently, continuous heavy rainfall in southern China brought about floods and disasters. During this period, a section of a highway in Meizhou experienced a major collapse, resulting in significant casualties.
While southern China grapples with flooding disasters, the northern regions continue to face high temperatures and are suffering from scorching heat and drought.
Since May, drought conditions in provinces such as Henan, Shandong, Hebei, Shanxi, Anhui, and Jiangsu have been worsening. The area of severe and extremely severe drought disasters is expanding and significantly affecting the summer planting of farmers in the affected areas.
In mid-June, high temperatures persisted in many parts of northern China. The China Meteorological Administration stated that this is the widest and most intense heatwave in the northern region so far this year, with long periods of high temperatures in Hebei, Henan, and Shandong, showcasing extreme conditions.
Late May to mid-June is the ‘Three Summers’ period in China, involving summer harvest, summer planting, and summer management. In the central and northern regions of North China, winter wheat is at its ripening and harvesting stage, while in the southern areas of North China and the Yellow River basin, summer corn and soybeans are in the sowing stage (after the winter wheat harvest). Spring crops such as corn, rice, soybeans, and cotton in regions like Northeast, Northwest, North China, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and South China are in the vigorous growth stage.
Extreme temperatures and drought have a significant impact on agriculture. High temperatures can accelerate soil dehydration, leading to poor crop emergence and growth. Additionally, high temperatures and drought are conducive to the breeding and development of pests like locusts and aphids that thrive in dry conditions.
Recently, the Chinese Meteorological Department warned that an unusually long heatwave is expected to hit eastern, central, and southern China in July, potentially damaging the production of rice and cotton.
On July 4th, the National Climate Center of China stated, based on July climate trend predictions, there is a risk of heatwaves in the eastern, central, and southern regions of China. The number of hot days in the southeastern part of East China, the southeastern part of Central China, and the eastern part of South China are higher than usual during this period, posing a high risk of heatwaves. Precautions need to be taken in agriculture to prevent heat damage that could reduce crop yields in cotton, early rice, and late rice.
This week, regions like Jianghuai, Jiangnan, and southern China are expected to experience sunny and hot weather, with temperatures exceeding 35°C for 4 to 8 days in Jiangnan and southern China.
In June of this year, the average number of days with temperatures above 35°C in China was 2.6 days, 0.9 days more than the same period in previous years, making it the fourth-highest since 1961. The regions with significantly more hot days are mainly concentrated in the north, with areas in southern North China, the central and eastern parts of the Yellow River Basin, and southern Xinjiang experiencing 3 to 10 more hot days than usual.