Major rivers in south China flood amid persistent downpours

BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Xijiang River in south China's Pearl River basin flooded for the third time this year on Thursday afternoon, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

This marks the 10th flood in the Pearl River basin since the 2024 flood season began.

Affected by persistent heavy rains, rivers connected to Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake, China's two largest freshwater lakes, have seen flooding exceeding alert marks, with water levels of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River continuing to rise.

From Wednesday to Thursday, the water levels of 22 rivers in Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, Zhejiang and other locations were reported to have exceeded their warning marks.

Another round of downpours is forecast to lash the Yangtze River basin from Friday to Tuesday, mainly affecting Dongting Lake and the middle and lower reaches of the river, according to the Changjiang Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources.

The ministry is currently maintaining a Level-IV emergency response to flooding in nine provincial-level regions: Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Chongqing, Guizhou and Yunnan.

China's national observatory on Thursday renewed an orange alert for rainstorms as heavy rainfall is expected to continue in Chongqing, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Xizang.