Pinglu Canal proves flood control value as record rainfall hits Guangxi

The Pinglu Canal, a key logistics project under construction in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, held up against a typhoon, heavy rain, and flooding during the recent extreme weather, showing it can serve not only as a trade route but also as a safeguard for nearby communities, its builder said.

The proof came during Typhoon Maysak, which brought record rainfall and created a rare situation in which strong winds, torrential rain, and storm surges hit at once. Upstream inflow topped 700 million cubic meters, with both rainfall and water flow reaching record highs. Yet the measured water level at the upstream edge of Qinzhou city reached 7.5 meters, 3.17 meters lower than it would have been without the canal, Pinglu Canal Group said.

The Qinjiang River once followed a winding, narrow course that left riverside cities, towns, and farmland exposed to flooding. During construction, the river was widened, deepened, and straightened, improving the region's ability to discharge floodwater and withstand disasters. In the recent flood, the canal was used to regulate the flow, holding a maximum discharge rate of 3,500 cubic meters per second.

The company said prolonged high water across the basin receded far sooner than before, and the risk of landslides and other secondary hazards along the route dropped sharply. As a national strategic water transport project, it added, the canal has reshaped the Qinzhou River basin and strengthened disaster prevention across the coastal watersheds of the Beibu Gulf.

The canal is the first in China to connect a river system directly to the sea since the founding of the People's Republic of China. It is expected to open a convenient, cost-effective passage between China and the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Starting at the Pingtang River Estuary of the Xijin Reservoir in Hengzhou, it crosses the watershed at Lingshan county in Qinzhou and follows the Qinjiang River to the sea in the Beibu Gulf. It runs 134.2 kilometers and can handle 5,000-ton vessels.

The waterway is scheduled to open to traffic in September.