China floods: Experts analyze the causes of floods in the country's southern region
China's southern regions are suffering from flood disasters since the flood season began in June. Consecutive days of heavy rainfall has already impacted provincial level regions including Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong and Guangxi. Our reporter You Yang talks to experts at China's Ministry of Water Resources about the causes of floods as well as the ministry's disaster relief and control work.
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HOU AIZHONG Chief Hydrological Forecaster, China's Ministry of Water Resources "Since late May, due to the heavy rainfall in the southern region, the water levels of a total of 361 rivers have exceeded the warning line. And the water levels of 34 rivers have exceeded the safety line. 13 rivers have seen their biggest floods in history. Currently, the floods in the Pearl River's Beijiang and Xijiang are slowly receding."
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"According to our analysis, there are three causes for this year's floods in the southern region. The first cause is the cold air moving from the northern region is very active, as the old air moves southward, thus in Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region where the warm and cold drafts converge, they have seen continuous heavy rainfall. The second cause is heavy rainfall that has made the soil nearly saturated with water which makes it easier for floods to happen. And the third cause is the intensity of the heavy rainfall, the data shows that the precipitation in the Pearl River Basin increased by nearly 70% compared with the same period over the past few years, making it the heaviest since 1961."
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