Record rains and floods hit seven Chinese provinces — water level in Liuzhou exceeds critical mark by 3.14 metres
Flow rate in Laibin reached 25,000 cubic metres per second — the first flood of the year on the Xijiang River. Record rainfall in Guizhou, roads flooded, emergency measures activated. By Tuesday morning, the water level in Liuzhou had dropped to the critical mark, but the threat persists.
As reported by CCTV+, heavy rains continue to batter China, causing floods and forcing emergency responses in several provinces in the east, centre and south‑west of the country. On Monday, torrential downpours — in some areas reaching extreme levels — flooded parts of Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. The south of Guizhou was particularly hard hit, with some areas recording unprecedented rainfall.
The flood peak on the Liujiang River hit the city of Liuzhou in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Monday, when the water level rose 3.14 metres above the danger mark, submerging many roads and prompting emergency measures by local authorities. By Tuesday morning, the water level had dropped to the critical level of 82.5 metres and continues to recede. Heavy rains also caused significant flooding in Laibin, Guangxi. On Monday at 5:30 pm, the flow rate at the Wuxuan hydrological station in Laibin reached 25,000 cubic metres per second, marking the first flood of the year on the Xijiang River.
The Xijiang River is one of the largest rivers in southern China, flowing into the Pearl River. Its basin covers Guangxi and Guangdong provinces, as well as parts of Yunnan and Guizhou. The critical water level in Liuzhou — 82.5 metres — is the mark at which coastal areas begin to flood. The rainy season in China usually lasts from May to September, but this year's rainfall has been particularly intense, leading to record floods.
When the water rises three metres above the danger mark and the flow rate reaches 25,000 cubic metres per second, the elements cease to be just weather. They become a challenge to which people respond with dykes, evacuations and round‑the‑clock rescue work. Record rainfall in Guizhou, flooded roads in Liuzhou, the first flood on the Xijiang — all are reminders that even the most developed infrastructure is not invincible against nature's fury. But as the water recedes and the level continues to fall, hope remains: people do not give up, even when the sky pours without end.
