Water levels of 12 rivers exceed warning level in China

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) — Warnings have been issued across China over rising river water levels after days of heavy rainfall last week, the country's Ministry of Water Resources said Sunday.

The warnings were issued for 12 rivers in the provinces of Jiangsu, Liaoning, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Inner Mongolia, and Heilongjiang, the state-run Xinhua News reported, citing the ministry.

From Thursday to Saturday, heavy rains affected parts of southwest and northeast China, areas between the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, between the Yellow and Huaihe Rivers, and in the central province of Hubei.

Rainstorms are expected to hit Shanghai, as well as parts of the provinces Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, Yunnan and Jilin on Sunday, possibly causing water levels of some small and medium-sized rivers to also exceed the warning level, the ministry said.

It has launched a Level IV emergency response to flooding in nine provincial-level regions, including Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, and Jilin.

China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the strongest response.

The world's most-populous country is currently battling an intense wave of extreme weather, as rain-triggered floods wreak havoc in the southern and central parts of the country, killing at least 17 people.

Authorities on Sunday said seven victims of a landslide disaster near an expressway in Yichang, a city in Hubei, on Saturday had been recovered, including one showing no vital signs and another suffering serious injuries. A further seven remain missing as of Sunday afternoon.