25 rivers in China breach warning levels, over 10,000 persons evacuated

The levels of 25 rivers in southwestern China exceeded safe levels on Thursday, state media said, after more than 10,000 people were evacuated as the remnants of former typhoon Danas converged with East Asian monsoon rains.

Extreme rainfall and severe flooding, which meteorologists link to climate change, increasingly pose major challenges as they threaten to overwhelm ageing flood defences, displace millions and wreak havoc on a $2.8-trillion agricultural sector.

Heavy rains also hit the capital, Beijing, with one area in the sprawling Chaoyang district receiving 68.2 mm (2.7 inches) of rain in a single hour on Thursday morning, the state-run Beijing Daily said.

Ten southwestern rivers, including the Longyan, which flows through the densely populated region of Chongqing, could burst their embankments and levees at any time, broadcaster CCTV warned, citing the water resources ministry.

The remaining 15 had exceeded levels at which they could burst their banks, but posed less of a risk, it added.

More than 24 hours of torrential rain took levels in the Chishui River of Guizhou province to their highest since records began in 1953, the broadcaster said, while the Xiaocao River in Sichuan province stood at its highest in 29 years.

More than 10,000 people were evacuated on Wednesday from cities in the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan, state media said, as the East Asian monsoon rains pushed north from India.

One county in Yunnan recorded 227.8 mm (9 inches) of rainfall in 24 hours, for its highest total in a single day since records began in 1958.

Beijing health authorities warned that the combination of frequent downpours, high temperatures and humidity swells the risk of water and food contamination.