Voice of America
23 Jun 2022, 17:05 GMT+10
Beijing - Record floods were expected in parts of southern China Thursday as heavy rains pushed water levels in the Pearl River delta to their highest in almost a century.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from the worst-hit parts of the region, which includes Guangdong province, a manufacturing and logistics hub that is home to China's tech capital Shenzhen.
China's ministry of water resources on Wednesday placed its highest flood alert on the Pearl River basin, saying water levels at one location 'surpassed historical records' and that the provincial capital Guangzhou would be impacted.
Images from the city of Shaoguan, north of Guangzhou, showed residents on Wednesday making their way through flooded main roads, as water in some areas reached the tops of cars.
The muddy floodwater inundated shops and buildings, and people were seen clearing away the debris.
The low-lying Pearl River delta is home to the economic powerhouses of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, as well as several smaller but densely populated cities with major manufacturing and other industries.
Provincial emergency management authorities said earlier this week that direct economic losses were estimated at 1.7 billion yuan ($253 million).
Under the highest alert level, at-risk areas in Guangdong have been ordered to take all necessary measures including suspending work at factories and closing schools to minimise damage.
Other regions in southern China, including coastal Fujian province and Guangxi, have also been affected by record rains this month, forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate.
Summer floods are common in parts of China, but these have been getting more extreme in recent years as a result of climate change.
Chinese authorities so far have not directly linked this year's extreme floods to climate change.
Some local media have dubbed it a 'once-in-a-century flood', reporting that water levels have surpassed the highest recorded in 1931 and are approaching the area's worst floods in 1915.
Get a daily dose of The UK News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to The UK News.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks weakened across the board on Tuesday, led by the tech sector once more. I would say that the largest...
SAN FRANCISCO, California: Google One, Alphabet's subscription service that offers cloud storage and AI-powered features, has surpassed...
BEIJING, China: China's sales of heavy trucks could be dominated by electric vehicles by 2028, with battery-powered models potentially...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden: Apple has blocked access to the popular video game Fortnite on iPhones in the United States and through Epic Games'...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks struggled on Monday as a further downgrading of U.S. debt by Moody's sent the dollar sliding and Treasury...
PARIS, France: Richemont, the owner of luxury brands Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, posted a stronger-than-expected seven percent...
Diu (Daman and Diu) [India], May 20 (ANI): Hosts Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu had a golden start on Day 2 of the first...
Los Angeles [US], May 20 (ANI): The cast of 'Sherlock Holmes and the Twelve Days of Christmas' has been unveiled. Ahead of Sherlock...
Diu (Daman and Diu) [India], May 20 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday highlighted sports 'transformative force' and how...
New Delhi [India], May 19 (ANI): The 69th edition of the Ballon d'Or, football's most prestigious individual accolade, is scheduled...
More than 50 young diplomats from 20 countries attended the annual event in Kazan The Russian city of Kazan has hosted a forum of...
Diu (Daman and Diu) [India], May 19 (ANI): The inaugural Khelo India Beach Games 2025 (KIBG) at the Ghoghla beach in Diu got rolling...