Chongqing - As heavy rain looms, Chongqing is ramping up preparedness measures to safeguard daily life and transport, underscoring its push to build greater resilience to extreme weather.
Chongqing issued a Level IV heavy rain alert on April 19, with forecasters warning that the year’s first major rainstorm, along with severe convective weather, will hit central, western, and southeastern areas from 11:00 on April 19 to 20:00 on April 20.
The rainstorm is expected to be widespread and intense, bringing 50–70 mm of rainfall across most areas, up to 100–120 mm locally, along with strong winds and isolated hail.
It will also test Chongqing’s drainage, transport, and emergency response systems. The activation of a Level IV alert under China’s disaster mitigation framework signals that weather conditions have reached a threshold requiring government intervention and coordinated precautions across sectors.
Ensuring the timely and accurate delivery of warning information is paramount. The Chongqing Meteorological Bureau has implemented a progressive forecasting model. This entails specialized reports 3 days in advance, a 24-hour forecast 1 day ahead, updates at the 12-hour and 6-hour marks, a warning 2 hours before the event, and real-time rolling updates.
For information distribution, the bureau coordinates with 10 departments—including emergency management, water resources, and transportation—utilizing a township-level risk model. The system connects four administrative levels (city, district, town, and community) and 27 municipal departments, covering over 1.02 million emergency responders.
The Liangjiang New Area Pipe Network Company installs warning cages. (Photo/The Chongqing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development)
Following the warning, the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has swiftly rolled out targeted measures to reinforce safety at construction sites and rural housing areas, while stepping up prevention of urban tree-related risks.
Authorities have inspected risk points across 2,379 active projects, including bridges, tunnels, cranes, and deep pits. The "Engineering Intelligence" digital platform is being used to notify all sites, with municipal guidance teams on standby for field deployments.
Regarding rural housing, a notification system is being used to intensify inspections in low-lying areas and near riverbanks. To date, 33,260 rural households have been inspected, with expert groups dispatched to assist districts in hazard mitigation.
Comprehensive efforts are also underway to prevent urban logging. This includes monitoring subways and underground garages, prepositioning flood supplies and pumping equipment at flood-prone locations, and clearing drainage inlets.
Sanitation and gardening departments are on full alert, with Liangjiang New Area prepositioning emergency equipment and supplies to ensure rapid response in the forecast impact zone.
Gardening authorities of Liangjiang New Area have increased inspections of roadside and tall trees, pruning and reinforcing those that are decayed or leaning to prevent road blockages. Sanitation workers clear leaves and debris from drainage grates to ensure smooth flow.
A Worker clears a drainage inlet in Shapingba District. (Photo/Shapingba Urban Management Bureau)
Urban management authorities have also taken proactive measures. In Shapingba District, another high-risk area, the local Urban Management Bureau launched immediate flood prevention inspections. Crews monitor landslide sites, equip flood-prone garages with pumps and sandbags, and inspect transformers for rapid emergency power-offs.