Anhui flood expected to worsen as more rain arrives

A flood that swept villages along the Huaihe River in Anhui province is expected to worsen as heavy rainfall is forecast to hit the river, according to meteorological departments.

On Tuesday, the Anhui provincial hydrographic office issued a red alert for flooding, the highest in a four-tier warning system.

Near the Wangjiaba hydrological station in the province's Fuyang city, located on the north side of the Huaihe's main stream, the flood left farmland submerged. Routes to villages have been cut off, and rescuers had to send relief materials by boat.

The area is home to over 195,000 people, and about 2,000 villagers among them who were doing farm work in the flood basin near the station have been relocated.

Lang Maoyong, a 49-year-old villager of Hexie village, Wangjiaba town, said that currently there is still no need to relocate.

"Our village is located on higher land above the flood, so it's fine," he said. "Food and other materials we stored in advance can sustain my family for a week. The government has supported us a lot."

Guo Chang, an official of the village, said his routine task was to check the number of villagers and whether they need food or medical aid.

By Tuesday, the Fuyang city government had sent 11 medical workers to Wangjiaba, and more than 100 policemen were on duty to hand out relief materials and fight the flood.

Zhang Fanghua, chief forecaster of the National Meteorological Center, said that a cyclone over the Yellow and Huaihe rivers caused the rain.

"The cyclone, a low-pressure weather system, accumulated surrounding water vapor like a water pump, and the system is commonly seen as an indicator of rainstorms," she said.

According to the Huaihe River Commission, the water level at the Wangjiaba hydrological station in Fuyang reached 29.66 meters on Monday morning, 0.36 meters above the maximum design level for dikes in the section.

The National Meteorological Center issued a blue alert for rainstorms on Tuesday morning, saying that the rain will continue to hit Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei and Henan provinces.

Zhang said that these areas should take precautions against floods, mountain torrents and strong winds.

After days of rain in Mazhe village, located in Enshi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture in Hubei, a mudslide formed a barrier lake on the upper reaches of a local river on Tuesday morning.

Local residents are likely to suffer from a water supply shortage for 10 days because the local reservoir decided to pour out large amounts of water for drinking usage to make room for possible floods coming down from the barrier lake, the local government said.

As of Sunday, floods in eastern and southern provinces have affected 23.8 million people, damaged about 160,000 houses and left 31 people dead or missing, the Ministry of Emergency Management said.