Heavy floods forecast in major river basins

China is expected to experience heavy flooding in some of its major river basins during flood season as this year's climate conditions are worse than normal, the China Meteorological Administration said.

Heavy floods may occur along the Pearl, Yellow, Haihe and Songhua rivers because there will be more rain than in previous years, the administration said.

At a recent work meeting, the Ministry of Water Resources' Pearl River Water Resources Commission forecast that heavy rainfall may cause severe floods in two of the river's main tributaries-the Xijiang and Beijiang-during the main flood season from June to August.

The Pearl River runs through the provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangxi and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

"Droughts and floods may coexist in the basin during the season and shift from one to another swiftly," Lan Tianli, chairman of Guangxi, said at the meeting held in Nanning, the region's capital.

On April 20, Sanshui district in Foshan, Guangdong, announced that it had entered the early stage of flood season, and authorities have prepared emergency supplies including boats and water pumps, with staff members on duty around the clock to prevent flood damage.

The district, where three of the Pearl River's tributaries meet, also launched an overhaul of sites with geological disaster risks, water projects and low-lying land to ensure safety during flood season.

From June, geological disasters caused by severe mountain torrents are forecast to hit Northwest and Southwest China, the administration said, adding droughts will most probably occur in Chongqing, southern parts of Hubei province, northwestern Hunan province and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, where precipitation will be 20 to 50 percent less than in normal years.

On April 15, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, entered the flood season, which will last until Oct 15, Hangzhou Daily reported.

The city's Qiantang, Puyang and Dongtiao rivers are likely to see flooding exceeding alarm levels, it said. In July, Hangzhou's Xin'an River Reservoir, the largest flood-control project in eastern China, opened all nine of its floodgates to discharge floodwater. It was the first time the reservoir had done so since its construction in 1959.

The local water resources bureau has repaired most roads and greenbelts damaged by the last flood and reinforced the city's water projects for the next, the report said. It has also upgraded monitoring systems in areas vulnerable to flooding.