Extreme flooding in China on Sunday the second, caused many deaths and missing persons. AP news reported at least 15 people dead on June 5 and 4 missing people in Chongqing. Nearly all of the 31 people occupying that region are at risk of flooding. The Xinhua News Agency announced 85,000 evacuated the province of Sichuan.

Flooding Risks

China’s rates of natural disasters, such as flooding, are at risk of increasing because of economic growth and urbanization.

According to the Global Facility of Natural Disaster, two-thirds of Chinese territory is at risk of flooding. This is not a new tragedy for China, in 1998, flooding killed 4,150 people and damaged 6.85 million houses.

An article by the Los Angeles Times stated that China’s over-reliance on dams and its extreme urbanization in low-lying cities create drainage problems, making it extremely easy for floods to occur.

“The subtropical high-pressure system over the western North Pacific was strong this year,” said Song Lianchun, a meteorologist with the National Climate Centre in a South China Morning Post article. “Its intersection with cold air has led to continuous heavy rainfall in the Yangtze River basin.”

The heavy rainfall mixed with the heavily drenched soil makes extreme flooding in China very prevalent, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

Affected Regions

In regions with poor hygiene, many lower-income areas have a higher risk of obtaining communicable diseases from flooding. The diseases include, but are not limited to leptospirosis, hepatitis and gastrointestinal disease.

Those diseases arise because feces, toxic waste, sewage and chemicals often contaminate the flood water. Affected communities do not have the money or resources to combat the illnesses the extreme flooding in China has exposed them to.

After extreme flooding in China in 2020, Iowa State University performed a study on crop price and production. The researchers found that 4.3% of summer crop failure was due to flooding, which resulted in an increase in both meat and vegetable prices.

The affected and displaced communities are already struggling to find and rebuild housing, which, coupled with rising food prices, creates challenging living conditions.

According to a 2020 CNN article, Analysts at the Chinese brokerage firm in Shenwan Hongyuan said that China could lose 11.2 million tons worth of food because of the severe damage done to croplands. Food security is a rising concern in lower-income areas after such an extreme natural disaster.

Assistance from China and the International Community

President of China, Xi Jinping, is trying to ensure the people’s safety as the top priority of all authorities. As a result of this recent catastrophe, the president commanded that State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters improve their warnings and coordination efforts.

To assist the regions of Sichuan and Chongqing, China’s natural disaster relief fund donated 320 million yuan, or about $44.46 million. About 250 million yuan will help control flooding and disaster relief efforts, stated a China SCIO press release on July 6.

After great property and land loss, China is working on improving the safety of its citizens, as well as the health and resilience of its crops.

– Alex Hasenkamp
Photo: Flickr