China's Haihe River Basin sees worst flooding since 1963: officials

TIANJIN -- The Haihe River Basin in northern China is experiencing the worst flooding caused by rainstorms since 1963, the Haihe River Water Conservancy Commission under the Ministry of Water Resources said on Friday.

The recent spells of torrential rains since July 28 have caused the water levels of 21 rivers in the Haihe River Basin to exceed the warning line, among which eight rivers have logged the largest floods on record.

The cumulative precipitation in the river basin covering an area of 320,000 square km reached 43.2 billion cubic meters in the four-day period, forming a height of 135 mm on average, said Yang Bang, an official with the commission, citing preliminary analysis.

According to Yang, the average annual precipitation in the Haihe River Basin is 525 mm, meaning the region received a quarter of the annual rainfall in the four days this time. According to data, back in 1963, the river basin saw 60 billion cubic meters of rainfall during a week-long rainstorm.

The Haihe River Basin is densely populated and involves many large and medium-sized cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Tangshan and Qinhuangdao.

Han Ruiguang, deputy director of the commission, said that as the flood water is moving from the upper and middle reaches to the lower reaches, the key focus at present is to let the water flow into the Bohai Sea safely. The official said the commission will make proper arrangements with relevant departments and closely monitor the situation.