Dolphin raises risks in parts of China

Various measures have been taken to confront risks of landslides, urban waterlogging and reservoir dam breaches as Typhoon Dolphin brought heavy rain and strong winds to Central and North China on Tuesday.

After the typhoon, the 13th of this year, made landfall in East China's Zhejiang province on Sunday, it moved west to Central China's Hubei province on Tuesday.

Gales from level 7 to 10 and above brought by the typhoon have affected the province since Monday. Dolphin also brought heavy rain in cities such as Suizhou and Xiangyang during the period, with torrential downpours in some areas.

The rain is expected to continue until Wednesday morning and ease markedly by the same afternoon, according to Chen Xuan, chief forecaster of the Hubei meteorological observatory.

"Long spells of rainfall will bring substantial accumulated precipitation. There are elevated risks of geological disasters, river floods and waterlogging in urban and rural areas, which need strengthened precautions," Chen said.

Starting at 8 pm on Monday, strong winds and rain swept through Xiangyang, and by 3 pm on Tuesday, the city-wide average rainfall hit 46 millimeters. The municipal flood-control headquarters activated the Level III flood-control emergency response.

Due to heavy rainfall in upstream areas, several rivers and urban drainage ditches have seen water levels rise. By 3 pm on Tuesday, about 10,000 people had been moved to safe areas, including those living along the rivers, according to local authorities.

Fifty-eight reservoirs had exceeded their flood-season limit as of 3 pm on Tuesday with the highest at 0.59 meters, and all below their designed flood level. Their water release gates have been kept fully open to drain water and bring reservoir levels down.

Disaster relief materials such as tarpaulin coverings, excavators and sandstone materials have been prepared in advance.

Relying on a digital platform, government workers monitor real-time conditions of major waterlogging-prone spots in downtown areas for quick response. For example, the platform detected water exceeding the safety limit at a culvert on Tuesday morning. Municipal workers were dispatched immediately for on-site handling.

Across Hubei province, 27,800 emergency response personnel and 16,400 sets of rescue equipment have been deployed in advance in key areas affected by the typhoon such as Xiangyang, Shiyan, Huanggang and Suizhou.

As of Tuesday noon, 25,478 people had been relocated. More than 4,500 tourist attractions, construction sites, factories and mines were closed, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters on Tuesday afternoon.

With the rain belt moving further northward, the National Meteorological Center forecasts that from Tuesday to Thursday, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in northern China will experience heavy rainfall.

Beijing activated a Level II flood-control emergency response at 9 am on Tuesday. Most parts of the city are expected to receive more than 100 millimeters of rain within six hours and over 150 mm within 24 hours from Tuesday evening, according to the Beijing meteorological service.

The public has been advised to suspend outdoor activities involving mountains and water, avoid low-lying areas when traveling, and take protective measures for underground spaces.

The nearby Hebei province issued a meteorological risk alert for mountain-flood disasters at 11 am on Tuesday.

At noon the same day, a meteorological early warning for geological hazards was also released, saying that between 2 pm on Tuesday and 2 pm on Wednesday, there is a high risk of collapses, landslides, mud-rock flows and other geological disasters in cities such as Baoding, Zhangjiakou, Handan and Shijiazhuang.

Relevant authorities dispatched 623 teams to mountain areas across the province. Focused on densely populated zones, the teams carried out emergency inspections for geological hazards, Hebei Daily reported.

Meanwhile, Hebei has equipped all 2,136 villages under threat with satellite phones or Beidou short-message terminals to guarantee unobstructed communications. Evacuation of residents was also in the plan based on conditions, it said.

Heavy rain was also forecast across a broad swath of the country through Wednesday night. The areas include Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong and Henan provinces.