Residents affected by severe flooding in southern China are trying to save their belongings from muddy waters on Wednesday, ahead of more torrential rains that local authorities have warned against.
Torrential rains have been hitting the southern province of Guangdong since Thursday. Four people lost their lives and more than 100,000 residents were evacuated.
Significant flooding is very unusual at this time of year in this lush, subtropical region.
The central government has allocated 110 million yuan (14.2 million euros) for emergency aid to flood-hit areas in Guangdong, as well as neighboring Jiangxi and Guangxi, the Chinese government reported on Wednesday. public broadcaster CCTV.
These funds will mainly be used for “rescuing and properly rehousing those affected (and) for emergency management”, CCTV said.
In the village of Shatang, the rising waters affected a tourist area made up of bungalows. Staff and members of local government are helping to clear the mud from the streets, AFP journalists noted.
“Some rooms were flooded and we are in the process of cleaning all the mud (…) We should be ready to welcome customers again for the May 1 holidays,” explains Liu Yongqi, 25, the co-general director at Shatang Moonview Homestay Resort.
Torrential rains in China / Nicholas SHEARMAN / AFP
On the large meadow in the middle of the bungalows lie pieces of sheet metal, disjointed chairs or toilet bowls.
Brooms in hand, boots on their feet and conical hats on their heads to protect themselves from the scorching sun, five employees stroll through the aisles.
“We go everywhere to flush the water and clean,” one of them told AFP, pushing the mud out of a bungalow where the water had risen to more than two meters.
“We have already done five or six homes today,” explains an employee trying to clean a piece of furniture with water and a broom.
“The damage is significant (…) But fortunately we are insured,” observes Liu Shaofei, 53, father of Liu Yongqi, other co-general director of the family business.
Islanders trapped
In Qingyuan, the ferry connecting the city to an island on the Bei River cannot currently operate due to the water level. The approximately 600 islanders are thus cut off from the rest of the city.
On Wednesday afternoon, municipal agents from the sanitation department, taking advantage of a drop in the water level, were clearing sand and mud around the pier.
“It may still rain this evening and tomorrow, and we do not know the situation upstream of the river, so the water level could still rise,” a city official, wishing to remain anonymous, told AFP.
Near the pier, Wang Zhi, bag of lettuce in hand and gas bottle placed on his scooter, hopes to cross.
“I would like to go home to the island. I saw that the water level has dropped. So I did some shopping,” he explains to AFP, before noting, upset, that the crossing cannot be made immediately.
Further precipitation expected
Authorities warned of further heavy rains in Guangdong province from Wednesday evening to Friday.
Cleaning up mud and damage after floods in Qinguyan, Guangdong province, April 24, 2024 in southern China / HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP
Up to 240 millimeters of rain are expected in many parts of the territory and up to 300 millimeters in several localities.
Officials also warned the population not to spread “rumors” about possible shortages or rising prices of basic necessities.
“Do not manufacture or disseminate information about rising prices, limited supply chains or significant increases in market demand,” the regional market regulator said in a notice issued Tuesday evening.
Cleaning up mud and damage after floods in Qinguyan, Guangdong province, April 24, 2024 in southern China / HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP
The province of Guangdong, emblematic of Chinese manufacturing power with its tens of thousands of export-oriented factories, has some 127 million inhabitants.
Several areas of the province have not experienced such severe flooding this early in the year since records began in the 1950s, according to state media.
“Intensifying climate change” has increased the likelihood of this type of precipitation that typically only occurs in summer, Yin Zhijie, chief hydrology forecaster at the Ministry of Water Resources, told the China National Radio.
China is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases contributing to climate change. It has promised to reduce its emissions and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
