Record flooding seen in China's major rivers

China's rivers have seen more floods this year than in any year dating back to 1998, when such data was first collected, the Ministry of Water Resources reported on Monday.

Frequent and severe rainstorms have hit both southern and northern China, with 30 rivers seeing record-high levels. The end of July and early August are critical periods for flood prevention, Vice-Minister of Water Resources Wang Bao'en told a news conference.

The Yangtze, Yellow, Huai, Pearl and Songhua rivers, along with Taihu Lake, have collectively seen 13 floods that have reached designated warning levels. Nationwide, the number of rivers exceeding flood warning levels is 120 percent higher than usual for this time of year, with those surpassing flood levels nearly 60 percent higher than normal, according to the ministry.

Since last month, the average cumulative rainfall across China has reached 183 millimeters, 10 percent more than usual.

On July 20, Typhoon Gaemi brought 216.7 billion cubic meters of rainfall, 43 percent more than last year's strongest typhoon, Doksuri.

The heavy rainfall has caused numerous disasters, including major flooding in waterways in Yueyang and Xiangtan in Hunan province and the collapse of a highway bridge in Shangluo, Shaanxi province, on July 19 that caused 25 vehicles to fall into the river below. Mountain torrents and mudslides have also affected areas such as Zixing in Hunan, and Hanyuan and Kangding in Sichuan province.

Wang emphasized that China is still in peak flood season, with floodwaters in the Wusuli River surpassing protection levels. Some regions are still experiencing heavy rainfall, and the threat of more typhoons remains. The flood prevention situation is complex and severe.