13 rivers in China's Haihe River Basin exceed warning levels

The flood control in China's Haihe River Basin has entered a critical period as 13 rivers, including the mainstream and tributaries of the Yongding River, have exceeded warning levels by Monday.

Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying said it was necessary to monitor the real-time flood changes online to adjust flood prevention measures in time.

He emphasized the need to make precision forecasts on flood situations and have the public timely informed of the information on flood-combat arrangements, the use of flood storage areas, personnel transfer, and project scheduling plans.

He said preventive measures must be fully implemented before the arrival of floods, and all those who need transfers must be transported safely and as early as possible.

The Haihe River Basin is densely populated and involves many large and medium-sized cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Tangshan and Qinhuangdao.

The ministry has maintained a Level-II emergency response to floods in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in the north of the country and deployed 10 work teams for the flood response in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and other provinces and municipalities.

A bulletin released Monday by the ministry said that the Haihe River basin in northern China has reported "relatively big" flooding and that heavy rains and rainstorms are expected to continue in the region through Tuesday.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Sunday also raised the emergency response for flooding to Level II in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, and Henan.

China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level I being the most urgent response.