Torrential rain kills two, displaces thousands across northern China

Heavy rainfall sweeping across Beijing and northern China has killed at least two people and forced thousands from their homes, with authorities warning of continued downpours and heightened risks of flooding and landslides.

State broadcaster CCTV reported on the morning of July 27 that two people had died and two more were missing in Hebei province, where rain pounded the city of Baoding. In the industrial county of Fuping, a record-breaking 145 mm (5.7 inches) of rain fell in a single hour overnight, Caliber.Az reports via Reuters. 

The Ministry of Water Resources issued flood alerts for 11 provinces and regions, including Beijing and neighbouring Hebei, cautioning of possible inundations from small and mid-sized rivers and fast-moving mountain torrents.

Flooding and landslides have already struck several villages in Beijing’s Miyun district, with Fengjiayu town among the worst hit.

“Electricity and communications [were] cut in some villages,” according to CCTV. More than 3,000 residents have been relocated, Beijing News Radio reported on July 27.

Authorities in the capital also issued a geological disaster alert on July 26, warning of potential landslides and mudslides after a second bout of extreme rainfall inundated nearby Baoding with an entire year’s worth of precipitation in a matter of hours.

Northern China, typically more arid, has seen increasingly frequent and severe rainfall events in recent years, a trend some scientists attribute to climate change. The East Asian monsoon has brought extreme weather across much of the country this season, disrupting daily life and economic activity in the world’s second-largest economy.

In one of the most affected areas, Xizhuang station in Baoding recorded 540 mm (21 inches) of rainfall over an eight-hour period — surpassing the city’s average annual rainfall of approximately 500 mm. The deluge impacted over 46,000 people and prompted the evacuation of 4,655 residents, according to CCTV.

Chinese authorities remain on high alert as they track the storms, with concerns mounting over the resilience of the country's ageing flood control systems.

“Extreme rainfall and severe flooding are... a challenge to the country’s ageing flood defences,” officials warn, noting the growing threat to millions of people and the nation’s $2.8 trillion agricultural sector.

By Sabina Mammadli