Heavy rainfall intensified across Beijing and surrounding provinces in northern China on Monday, significantly escalating the risks of disasters such as landslides and flooding, prompting authorities to relocate over 4,400 people.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that colossal rain continued to deluge the suburban area of Miyun in Beijing, triggering flash floods and landslides and impacting numerous villages.
Images circulating on China’s WeChat app depicted parts of Miyun where cars and trucks were seen floating on a flooded road, with water levels so high they had submerged portions of a residential building. CCTV also noted that electricity outages were affecting more than 10,000 people in the area.
Northern China has experienced record precipitation in recent years, leaving densely populated cities, including Beijing, vulnerable to flood risks. Some scientists attribute the increased rainfall in China’s typically arid north to global warming.
These storms are part of a broader pattern of extreme weather across China, influenced by the East Asian monsoon, which has caused widespread disruptions to the world’s second-largest economy.
CCTV reported on Monday that Xiwanzi Village in Shicheng Town, near Miyun Reservoir, was severely impacted, leading to the transfer of an additional 100 villagers to a primary school for shelter. This follows Beijing authorities’ announcement on Sunday that the maximum flood peak flow into the Miyun reservoir reached a record high of 6550 cubic meters per second.
In neighboring Shanxi province, state media videos showcased roads inundated by powerful, gushing currents and submerged vegetation, including crops and trees. Shaanxi province, home to China’s historic city of Xian, also issued flash flood disaster risk warnings on Monday.
In Beijing’s Pinggu District, authorities have sealed two high-risk road sections. The People’s Daily reported that search and rescue operations are underway across cities, including Datong, where a Ford car driver has lost contact while attempting to navigate the floods.
China’s Water Resources Ministry has issued specific flood warnings for 11 provinces and regions, including Beijing and neighboring Hebei, anticipating floods from small and midsize rivers and mountain torrents.
CCTV reported on Sunday morning that two people were dead and two missing in Hebei province. Overnight rain dumped a record 145 mm (5.7 inches) per hour on Fuping in the industrial city of Baoding.
On Monday, China’s National Development and Reform Commission announced that it was urgently allocating 50 million yuan ($6.98 million) to support Hebei. These funds are designated for repairing damaged roads and bridges, water conservancy embankments, schools, and hospitals in the disaster area. The NDRC stated its aim to “promote the restoration of normal life and production as soon as possible.”
Chinese authorities closely monitor extreme rainfall and severe flooding, as these pose significant challenges to the country’s aging flood defenses, threaten to displace millions, and wreak havoc on China’s $2.8 trillion agricultural sector.
