33 rivers in China hit record levels amid floods, as torrential rains continue

As many as 33 rivers in China have risen to their highest levels in history, during the current wave of floods, a senior water ministry official said on Monday. Regions across the country are braced for another grim week of heavy rain.

Ye Jianchun, vice minister of water resources, said that 433 rivers – as well as major lakes such as the Dongting, the Poyang and the Tai – have all risen beyond the warning level since the flood season began in June.

“Going into the key flood-prevention period of late July to early August, the current trends remain grim on the Yangtze and Lake Tai basins,” he said. It’s predicted that the belts of heavy rain that have lashed central China will eventually head north.

Average rainfall has been at its highest since records began in 1961. The emergency ministry said last Friday that 141 people were dead or missing, with economic losses at around 60 billion yuan ($8.57 billion), Reuters reported.