Chinese authorities issued the highest level of alert in areas of southern China on Tuesday due to heavy rain and flooding, which have led to the deaths of at least four people in Guangdong province, the most populous in the country. The red alert level took effect at 10:00 a.m. local time in Shenzhen, according to the meteorological agency in this city of 17.7 million residents, located opposite Hong Kong. Authorities warned of a "very high" risk of flooding during a heavy rain period expected to last between "two to three hours."
Heavy rainfall is not uncommon in southern China, particularly during the summer, but it rarely occurs in the spring. Guangdong has been experiencing heavy rains since Thursday. This province, with 127 million residents, is the most populous in China and plays a crucial role in the industrial sector, hosting tens of thousands of factories, most of which are dedicated to exports.
The heavy rain and flooding have resulted in at least four fatalities and the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents, according to the authorities in a report issued on Monday. The rainfall has caused river levels to rise and raised concerns about floods "that occur only once in a century," according to officials.
Extreme weather events are known in China, but they have intensified in recent years, with the country experiencing heavy flooding, severe droughts, and record temperatures. Climate change, driven by human-source greenhouse gases, makes extreme weather events more severe and frequent, noting that China is the largest polluter of these gases.
Shenzhen has witnessed its heaviest rainfall since weather record-keeping began in 1952, according to official media. In recent days, the Xinhua News Agency reported that over a hundred thousand people have been evacuated in Guangdong and relocated to other areas, with some taken from Qingyuan, situated on the banks of the Bei River in the Pearl River Delta region.
In this context, state broadcaster CCTV reported that at least six people were injured due to landslides in the Jiangguan area of northern Guangdong. Footage broadcasted by the channel showed homes along rivers destroyed by mudslides, and people receiving emergency treatment in a sports field that had flooded. Meteorological services warned that provinces bordering Guangdong, including Fujian (to the east) and Guizhou, are also at risk.
