Chongqing - Chongqing, located in Southwest China, has recently encountered its heaviest rainfall since the commencement of the flood season. This extreme weather has caused many small and medium-sized rivers to overflow their warning and safety water levels. Wanzhou District, Qijiang District, and Yunyang County are among the areas most heavily impacted by the floods.
In response, the central organization of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has allocated special funds of 128 million yuan to support flood prevention and disaster relief efforts in 16 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, including Chongqing and Sichuan.
The forecast for the coming days predicts a continuation of this heavy rainfall, thereby escalating the risk of geological disasters, flash floods, and flooding in smaller rivers. Given these predictions, authorities are working tirelessly to manage the precarious flood situation and mounting pressure on flood control measures.
Rescuers transfer flood-trapped residents in Wanzhou District, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, July 4, 2023. (Photo/Ran Mengjun, Xinhua)
On July 5, Yuan Jiajun, the secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Chongqing Municipal Committee, emphasized that prioritizing people's safety and lives is paramount. He urged for improved strategies and collective efforts to bolster flood control and disaster relief measures, aiming to minimize casualties and property loss.
The Chongqing Emergency Management Bureau, based on meteorological department forecasts, issued warnings, guided districts and counties in conducting risk assessments, and triggered emergency responses. Additionally, the bureau requested disaster-prone sectors, such as power supply, water conservancy, transportation, housing construction, and urban management, to implement industry-specific emergency responses.
In preparation for extreme weather conditions, detailed response measures were rolled out promptly to inform local communities, industries, and areas of potential risks. This included suspending classes, halting work, ceasing business operations, transport, tourism, and navigation.
The Chongqing Emergency Management Bureau is persisting in its search and rescue operations for missing individuals while ensuring safety. The bureau is also concentrating on providing post-disaster assistance, ensuring that those affected have access to necessities such as food, clothing, temporary shelter, clean water, and medical services.
Local residents conduct some cleaning and make their life back to normal in flood-hit Wuqiao subdistrict in Wanzhou District, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, July 5, 2023. (Photo/Ran Mengjun, Xinhua)
The Chongqing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-rural Development has amplified the city's drainage and flood prevention emergency response teams. These teams comprise 1,953 emergency personnel, 885 vehicles, and pumping equipment capable of pumping 76,000 cubic meters of water per hour.
Moreover, the commission has established a communication mechanism with city-level departments, including public security, urban management, water resources, emergency management, and meteorology. This collaborative framework facilitates joint assessments, information sharing, timely warnings, and proactive coordination. It ensures that district and county-level drainage authorities receive timely weather forecasts, meteorological alerts within two hours, and important meteorological information reports within six hours. This proactive approach enables the early deployment of emergency personnel and equipment to enhance prevention and response efforts.
Transportation and highway departments across districts and counties quickly activated their emergency plans in response to the water damage. They initiated rapid road clearance operations coordinated by the Chongqing Transportation Bureau and the Municipal Highway Affairs Center. At present, the city's highway departments have mobilized nearly 6,000 personnel and 2,800 pieces of heavy machinery for road clearance operations. They have successfully reopened 139 road sections affected by water damage, and efforts are ongoing to restore the remaining impacted routes.
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