China's flood-control situation remains complex, serious: vice minister

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- China continues to face a complex and severe flood-control situation, with heavy rainfall still posing risks of secondary disasters in different regions, Vice Minister of Water Resources Wang Bao'en said Monday.

At a press briefing, Wang said the country remains in the main flood season despite the end of a critical flood-control period from mid-July to mid-August.

Currently, the Wusuli River is witnessing an ongoing surge, exceeding safety levels, while the risks of secondary disasters caused by heavy rain remain, and the impact of looming typhoons still persists, Wang said.

In a Monday alert, the Ministry of Emergency Management said that heavy rainstorms are anticipated in Guangdong's eastern coast and southwestern Liaoning from Monday to Tuesday, and that an emergency response has been activated for the two provinces.

Since July, torrential rains and floods have affected both the north and south of China, with the country recording a 120 percent increase in rivers issuing warnings for high water levels compared to the same period in previous years. Meanwhile, 30 rivers have reported their biggest floods in history.

To cope with the floods, over 1,000 large and medium-sized reservoirs across multiple river basins have been mobilized for flood control to significantly alleviate the flood-control pressure in downstream regions, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.