The death toll from flooding in north China’s Hebei province rose to 29, state media said on Friday, after record levels of rain hit the region in recent weeks.
“Since August 10, 29 people have died as a result of disasters in Hebei province,” state television CCTV reported.
Sixteen people are still missing, the same source added.
At least 33 people, including two members of the rescue teams, died in Beijing late last month, when the Chinese capital recorded the heaviest rains in 140 years.
The province of Jilin, in the northeast of the country, also registered more than a dozen deaths last week, after torrential rains.
Millions of people around the world have been affected by extreme weather events, including prolonged heat waves, in recent weeks. Scientists say these events are being exacerbated by climate change.
During a visit to flood-affected people last week, Hebei Provincial Communist Party Secretary Ni Yuefeng said Hebei’s rainwater reservoirs should be “put to good use” to “reduce pressure over Beijing in terms of flood control”, serving as a “moat”.
Chinese state media praised the government’s efforts to mitigate the damage caused by the floods, highlighting stories of mutual aid between neighbors and disinterested authorities who worked tirelessly in the rescue operations.
Entire parts of Zhuozhou, a city in Hebei, located on the border with Beijing, were submerged. Fields, businesses and houses were covered by two meters of water.
The management of rainwater retention ponds by local authorities, who have pledged to limit flooding in Beijing, is believed to have increased the burden on the province.
On Wednesday, the Chinese government said it would allocate 1 billion yuan (126 million euros) in compensation to the victims.
This fund will cover “damage to plantations, animal and bird farms, forests, homes and agricultural machinery,” according to the state press.
Beijing insurers paid at least 380 million yuan (48 million euros) for damage caused by recent rains.
Heavy rain is expected again this weekend as Tropical Storm Khanun approaches China after making landfall in Japan and then the Korean Peninsula.
Meteorologists warned of the risk of flooding in the mountainous regions of southwestern China, especially in Sichuan province.
At least seven people died in a flash flood southwest of Chengdu, the Sichuan capital.
Source: TSF
