Heavy rains and floods in the areas surrounding Beijing have claimed the lives of two people, and thousands are being evacuated to safety. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
The government has issued warnings about the risks of landslides and flooding due to heavy rainfall. According to official reports, two people have died in Hebei province, and two others are missing.
In particular, 145 millimeters of rainfall was recorded in Fuping County overnight, which is a record for the area. The Ministry of Water Resources of China issued special warnings about the risk of flooding in small and medium rivers and overflowing mountain rivers in Beijing, Hebei, and nine other provinces.
The Miyun District near Beijing is one of the most severely affected areas, with power and communication outages in some villages. Local radio stations report that more than three thousand people have been evacuated from this area.
According to meteorological observations, heavy rains are expected to continue in the coming hours. In some areas around Miyun, more than 100 millimeters of rainfall is anticipated within six hours, which increases the risk of water accumulation in low-lying areas.
On Saturday, the Beijing authorities raised the risk level for landslides, mudslides, and flooding due to heavy rainfall. In Baoding city, the amount of rainfall expected for a year—540 millimeters—fell in just eight hours.
This is higher than the average annual rainfall for the city. As a result, more than 46,000 people have been affected, and 4,655 people have been evacuated.
In recent years, rainfall has been increasing in China's typically arid northern regions. Some experts attribute this phenomenon to global warming.
At the same time, heavy rains are posing a serious test for the country's infrastructure, especially for aging flood protection systems. This event threatens the lives of millions and is causing over $2.8 trillion in damage to China's agricultural sector.
