Record-Breaking Rains Trigger Severe Flooding In Pearl River Delta

• Record-breaking rains flood southern China’s Pearl River Delta, sparking infrastructure concerns.
• Guangdong province faces widespread flooding, displacing thousands amid unusually heavy rainfall.
• Climate change worsens extreme weather in China, intensifying floods and droughts, highlighting infrastructure vulnerabilities.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that floods indundated several cities in southern China’s densely populated Pearl River Delta after record-breaking rains, raising concerns about the region’s resilience against larger deluges triggered by extreme weather events.

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Guangdong, once the “factory floor of the world,” faces frequent summer floods. Defenses were severely tested in June 2022 amid the heaviest downpours in six decades, prompting mass evacuations.

 

Since Thursday, Guangdong has been hit by unusually heavy and sustained rainfall, marking an earlier-than-normal onset of the annual flooding season in May and June.

In Qingyuan, a city of 4 million, residents faced losses from the flooding, with some fearing future disasters.

Huang Jingrong, 61, lamented the loss of his rice fields and estimated his losses at about 100,000 yuan ($13,806).

 

Over the weekend, waterways in Guangdong overflowed, including the river near Huang’s village, where floodwaters reached the second story of houses and washed out fields.

Rescuers in Qingyuan navigated neck-high waters to extract trapped residents, while others remained stranded on upper floors, awaiting receding waters and relying on friends for food delivery by boat.

 

Before 2022, rainfall in Qingyuan was less intense, and floodwaters were not as high, according to Lin Xiuzheng, another resident.

Climate scientists attribute the intensification of weather events in China to global warming, resulting in record-breaking rainfall and droughts simultaneously affecting the country’s economy.

 

Despite the floods, two companies in Guangdong reported no immediate impact on business or supply chains.

However, many rivers remained swollen, surpassing safety thresholds on Monday, with rainfall two to three times higher than usual for this time of year.

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The intense convective weather in southern China was attributed to a stronger-than-normal subtropical high, drawing in moisture-laden air from the South China Sea and the Bay of Bengal, resulting in intense precipitation.

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