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A food delivery rider braves the heavy rain to deliver meals on July 30, 2024 in Beijing. Photo: VCG

Since the start of the flood season, major rivers across China have experienced 25 numbered flood events, the highest number since data was first recorded in 1998, making the flood prevention situation sever and complex.

Climate in China this year has deviated from the norm, with many heavy rainfall events, leading to frequent and often accelerated flooding of major rivers and waterways, the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources concluded in a summary issued on Wednesday

According to the ministry, China's major rivers and lakes can flag "numbered floods" when water levels reach a warning level or register a flood of "once in two to five years" magnitude.

On Thursday, the China Meteorological Administration told a press conference that the country will focus on four extreme weather events - rainstorms, typhoons, high temperatures and drought.

The administration predicts that in the next 10 days, the overall weather situation in China will be frequent precipitation in the north and continuous high temperature in the south.

In July, the national average temperature was 23.2 C, which was 1 C higher than the same period in previous years, making it the highest on record since 1961. A total of 59 national-level meteorological stations recorded daily maximum temperatures breaking or equaling historical records, the administration disclosed.

In terms of precipitation, the national average was 129.3 millimeters, which was 13.3 percent higher than usual for the same period, with 30 national-level meteorological stations recording precipitation exceeding historical records. 

Precipitation levels in the Huaihe River, the Liaohe River, the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, and the Haihe River basins were all above average, with the Huaihe River and the Liaohe River basins experiencing precipitation levels double that of normal levels.

August still sits within a critical period of flood control, the risk of rainstorm and flood disasters is high in Northeast China, North China, South China and Southwest China, and flood situations may occur in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, the Haihe River basin and the Songliao River basin, the administration said.

It is forecast that during August, two to three typhoons are expected to make landfall in China, mainly affecting the coastal areas of South and East China, and there may be northbound typhoons affecting the northern parts of China, according to the press conference.

In response to this year's flood season, on Wednesday the national flood control and drought relief headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management held video conferences with 14 provinces and regions including Inner Mongolia, Jilin, and Liaoning analyzing the development trend of rainfall and flood situations, and deploying flood control and disaster relief work in key areas.

On the same day, a Level IV emergency response for flood control was activated in Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang, a Level III emergency response for Liaoning and Jilin was maintained, also a Level IV emergency response for flood control in Hunan, Hubei, and Yunnan was maintained.

Across the country, the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources has updated flood forecasts on 45,110 occasions, issuing river flood warnings 3,683 times to flood control workers and the public, and issued 81 mountain flood disaster meteorological warnings in collaboration with the China Meteorological Administration. 

Since the start of the flood season, 4,669 large and medium-sized reservoirs nationwide have been put into operation, collectively storing and diverting 99.3 billion cubic meters of floodwater, reducing flooding in 1,450 urban areas, protecting 1.109 million acres of farmland, and avoiding the relocation of 6.53 million people. 

Central China's Hunan Province is one area that has been hit hardest during the flood season. 

As of 7 am on Thursday, heavy rainfall had affected over 1.2 million residents in Hunan, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said on Thursday that the area of damaged crops caused by Typhoon Gaemi has reached 127,000 hectares, and 96,500 people have been safely relocated.

As of Thursday noon, the roads, electricity and communications in the eight townships in Zixing most affected by the typhoon have been restored, while search and rescue efforts have made phased progress. A total of 30 people were killed and 35 people went missing during the disaster. 

As of Wednesday, the provincial aviation emergency rescue center deployed four helicopters to participate in rescue operations in Zixing city, one of the areas severely affected by the rainfall. A total of 258 flights have been completed, transporting approximately 73 tons of essential supplies and transferring 92 injured individuals and pregnant women.

Chinese experts called for strengthening the monitoring capabilities on rainfall and flood. 

With the global climate change, extreme weather events are increasing, which increases the difficulty of forecasting. Therefore, this requires us to enhance monitoring capabilities and strengthen forecasting and early-warning abilities accordingly, Ma Jun, director of the Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Additionally, due to the increasing trend of extreme weather events brought about by climate change, we need to re-examine some of the previous planning efforts appropriately, incorporating climate change factors into consideration, Ma said. 

"We cannot solely rely on existing rules, but rather need to consider more extreme weather factors. This may involve adjusting some standards, setting some flood prevention design standards higher," Ma suggested.

Li Yawei contributed to this story.