China activates emergency response to flooding in southern regions

BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Water Resources (MWR) on Friday issued a Level-IV emergency response to flooding in four provincial-level southern regions.

Heavy rain is projected to hit Guangxi, Fujian, Yunnan, and Guizhou from Friday to Sunday, causing water levels in major rivers such as the Xijiang and Minjiang rivers to surpass warning thresholds, the ministry said in a bulletin.

Some minor regional rivers are predicted to experience severe flooding, while hilly areas are more prone to heavy torrents, according to the MWR.

It has dispatched working teams to Fujian and Guangxi, which have been severely affected, to provide flood prevention instruction.

Relevant local departments said they are closely monitoring flooding conditions, leveraging water conservancy projects, and intensifying levee patrols to better reduce flood risks.

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

Affected by factors such as El Nino, China is likely to undergo both floods and droughts from June to August this year. Major rivers across the country are projected to suffer varying degrees of flooding during the period, according to an earlier forecast by the MWR.