Devastating floods shine spotlight on protection measures

Extreme event

The recent heavy rainfall in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was labeled a "historically extreme event" by the National Meteorological Center.

The downpours surpassed others of a serious nature that occurred in the region in 1996, 2012 and 2016, with the center saying that it rained continuously for 83 hours in Beijing from July 29 to Tuesday.

During this period, the accumulated rainfall was double or even triple the average for the time of year. In one village — Liangjiazhuang in Xingtai, Hebei — rainfall over two days exceeded 1.3 meters, more than twice the average annual precipitation for the area, the center said.

Beijing's weather service said rainfall of 744.8 mm was recorded at Wangjiayuan Reservoir in the capital's Changping district during this period, the largest amount recorded in the city for 140 years.

From 8 am on July 29 to 5 pm on Tuesday, the volume of rainfall in Beijing reached about 4.3 billion cubic meters, Beijing News reported.

Zhang Chi, professor of management and economics at the Beijing Institute of Technology, said extreme weather conditions caused by climate change continue to pose significant threats to vulnerable populations, and adaptation measures are urgently needed.

The 2022 China report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: leveraging climate actions for healthy aging, said that from 2016 to 2020, the average exposure to extreme rainfall and drought per person increased by 71.6 percent.

Zhang, one of the report's first authors, said: "Vulnerable groups are suffering more from climate change. For example, older people are at greater risk than young people from such extreme weather, but they are less willing to move home.

"The recent flooding not only devastated farmers' crops but also harmed their health. Without immediate support and adaptation strategies to mitigate the impact, this already vulnerable group faces a vicious cycle of adversity," she said.

The devastating impact of recent torrential rain has again highlighted the importance of China's ongoing efforts to strengthen its defenses against natural disasters.