Troubled waters

Heavy rains lead to flooding, affecting 115,900 in Sichuan

Continuous and heavy rain has affected the lives of 115,900 people in Sichuan province, local flood control authorities said on Tuesday.

Heavy rain triggered a landslide in Dege county on Monday, killing four people and injuring one, the county government said.

Rain in the province has damaged a total of 4,440 hectares of crops and caused economic losses of 159 million yuan ($23.8 million).

The heaviest downpour in recent years hit Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu on Monday, dropping 160 millimeters of rain.

Nearly 200 flights were delayed or canceled and 13,000 passengers were stranded in the airport, said Lyu Junming, an airport information officer.

The downpour was rare in the history of the facility, he said.

The Sichuan Meteorological Observatory issued a blue alert at 3:30 pm on Tuesday warning of torrential rain in some parts of the province from 8 pm on Tuesday to 8 pm on Wednesday.

The cities of Dazhou and Bazhong and the northern parts of the cities of Nanchong and Guang’an were expected to be lashed by heavy rain, and precipitation was expected to range from 30 to 60 millimeters.

Expected rainfall in parts of the north of Dazhou and Bazhong will range from 100 to 140 millimeters, the observatory said.

Different parts of Sichuan have been hit by heavy rain since late last month.

On the evening of June 25, Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area in Jiuzhaigou county in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture experienced rain-induced floods and mudslides.

Out of safety concerns for tourists heading for Jiuzhaigou, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage, the scenic area’s administrative bureau closed the area temporarily to tourists on Sunday. It did not say when it would reopen.

Tourists who had paid for tickets could get refunds, the bureau said.

In the early hours of Monday, a downpour whipped Jiuzhaigou county and brought mudslides to Langzhai village, Zhangzha town, cutting off the village’s only road leading to the outside.

The mudslides caused havoc in the entire village, extending for about 1 kilometer, said Cao Hong, a rescue official.

LIU CHANGSONG / FOR CHINA DAILY Owners of a small diner sit at the doorway as sandbags are used to hold off floodwaters in Suining, Sichuan province, on Tuesday.