China’s Guangdong Province has been repeatedly hit by heavy rainfall in recent days, with various areas facing severe challenges. An incident of mountain landslide occurred in Baiyun District of Guangzhou City this morning (6th), leading to the collapse and displacement of several self-built houses, trapping at least 14 people. As of noon, 7 individuals are still missing. Meanwhile, the city’s Conghua District has announced an increase in the discharge from its reservoir to alleviate flooding. Many towns in the area are experiencing flooding and road destruction due to the heavy rains.
The Baiyun District Emergency Management Bureau reported that around 8:30 am on August 6th, ongoing heavy rains triggered a mountain landslide, resulting in damage to houses in the Huangzhuang area of Dayuan Village. By noon on August 6th, 14 people were found trapped, with 7 successfully rescued.
The incident of “Mountain Landslide in Guangzhou Baiyun District, Multiple Trapped Individuals” has garnered widespread public attention, becoming a hot topic on social media platforms and sparking discussions among netizens.
Some internet users commented on the powerful nature of the torrential rain in Guangdong, describing how walking outside means wading through water and even meals are consumed amidst water flow. The heavy rainfall has been so intense that even cockroaches in Guangdong cannot survive, highlighting the ferocity of the downpour.
According to monitoring by the Guangzhou Ecology and Agriculture Meteorological Center, the city experienced the most intense rainfall process of the year from August 2nd to 6th, reaching a level of “particularly severe” impact and ranking as the strongest rainfall event of August and the fifth strongest of the century.
The Guangzhou Meteorological Observatory forecasts continuous rainfall on the 6th, with heavy rain in Guangzhou, locally reaching levels of extremely heavy rain, accompanied by strong convective weather including brief gusts of wind of 6 to 8 on the Beaufort scale, thunderstorms, and lightning.
Simultaneously, the Conghua District of Guangzhou is facing a serious flood control situation. On August 6th, the Conghua District Government Flood Control Command issued an emergency notice to increase the discharge from the Liuxi River Reservoir.
According to the report, the Liuxi River Reservoir is currently discharging water at a rate of 200m³/s. As the water level continues to rise, it has been decided to further increase the discharge from the reservoir starting from 8:30 am on the same day, raising the discharge rate to 300m³/s until the water level falls below the flood limit of 1.5 meters (233.5 meters).
As reported by Guangdong TV, in the Lutian Town of Conghua District, the water level of a stream at the foot of Guifeng Mountain is remarkably high and flowing rapidly, with half of the embankment washed away by floods.
Guangzhou Daily reported that in recent days, the Conghua District of Guangzhou has been continuously experiencing widespread heavy to extremely heavy rains, with some areas facing exceptionally strong downpours. In response to the messages from the Conghua District Government Flood Control Command on August 5th, the Liuxi River Reservoir started releasing water at a rate of 100m³/s at 4 pm, which was increased to 200m³/s by 8 pm on the same day.
The prolonged heavy rainfall has led to severe flooding, landslides, and road damage in various towns and streets in the Conghua District.
In Lutian Town, roads are submerged, sections collapsed, and houses in low-lying areas are flooded. In the Tangji Village section of the G105 highway in Lutian Town, a slope with fir trees has blocked the road, halting the passage of vehicles.
On the morning of August 5th at 9:30 am, the ZhuKeng River suddenly rose rapidly, surpassing the bridge surface with a water depth of over 40 centimeters. The swift current of the river instantly cut off the passageway, leaving 20 employees of “Colorful Flower Field” on the opposite bank stranded, in urgent need of rescue.
The ongoing heavy rainfall has caused different degrees of flooding and landslides in various locations in the towns and streets. At 5 am on August 5th, in Liangkou Town and Feng Village, abnormal increases in river flow were detected, indicating the risk of flooding.
The Liangxin Village of Liangkou Town has had its road to Dajiang blocked by fallen trees, severely hindering traffic.
Due to the effects of the heavy rainfall, some water supply pipelines unexpectedly burst in the Wenquan Town, impacting the daily water usage of surrounding areas.
In the Wushi Village of Aotou Town, the Sande River source has been eroded, forming a breach that continues to threaten the village and put the crops at risk of being submerged.