China is currently grappling with extreme weather conditions, including heavy rainfall and scorching heat waves, which scientists attribute to climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
Recent torrential rains have severely impacted Anhui province, affecting nearly a million residents and forcing 242,000 people to evacuate. The storms have wreaked havoc in 36 counties across seven cities within the province, according to state news agency Xinhua.
The Yangtze River, China’s longest, has seen water levels in its Anhui section surpass warning levels, continuing to rise. Additionally, 20 other rivers and six lakes in the province have also exceeded their alert levels. Footage from state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday showed the Yangtze rising to nearly cover a 12-meter-tall sculpture in Wuhu city.
Xinhua reported that from Monday evening to Tuesday evening, over 100 millimeters of rainfall were recorded at numerous weather stations across Anhui, with Hexi county near Hefei experiencing 266 millimeters of rain.
In response, tens of thousands of officials have been deployed to monitor the dams and dykes along the Yangtze in Anhui. The provincial weather office has forecasted more rain through Friday, issuing warnings for potential geological disasters in southern regions.
This intense rainfall has led to multiple deadly incidents in southern China in recent months, including mountain floods in Hunan and landslides, which claimed several lives. Heavy rains and flooding also resulted in 38 deaths in Guangdong province in June.