Flooding in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing has killed at least 15 people and displaced thousands more as President Xi Jinping warned that all seven of China’s major rivers were at risk of flooding.
The city’s Wanzhou district has seen heavy downpours since Monday. By the following day the Wuqiao River burst its banks, flooding buildings on both banks in as little as half an hour and trapping residents at home, according to the local emergency services.
As of Wednesday morning, the heaviest rainfall so far in this year’s flood season had affected more than 37,000 people in the district, with at least 15 dead and four missing, according to the state broadcaster CCTV.
The Wanzhou emergency management administration said an emergency flood-prevention response had been activated with more than 12,000 people evacuated to safer ground.
The extreme seasonal weather has affected nearly 1,950 hectares (4,820 acres) of crops and resulted in an economic loss of almost 228 million yuan (US$31.6 million), while more than 350 homes have been destroyed.
Further heavy rain and thunderstorms have been forecast for Chongqing over the next three days and the Wanzhou district government has promised to continue working to protect lives and properties.
Since Tuesday, the Chongqing municipal water conservation bureau has upgraded the disaster response level to Level 3, the third highest in the four-tier flood and drought emergency response system.
The disaster came as Xi warned that the country was entering a critical period in the flood season, with all seven main river systems – including the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, as well as the southern Pearl River and waterways further north – at risk.
He asked relevant departments, including the emergency management ministry and water resources ministry, to strengthen overall planning and coordination to monitor the situation and provide early flood warnings to prevent disaster.
He told officials at all levels to take responsibility for protecting the land to remember that “life comes first”, state news agency Xinhua reported.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management provided 320 million yuan worth of urgent relief fund to 16 provincial level governments, including the Chongqing municipal authorities and neighbouring Sichuan province.
The money will help with search and relief operations, disaster prevention work, supporting those forced to evacuate and help rebuild damaged homes.