Rainy season’s approaching, prepare for it

Between May 21 and June 7, South China’s Guangdong province issued 1,057 rain warnings, 73 of them red alerts. The last few days have seen heavy rainfall in the province, with wind speed sometimes reaching force 8.

That should send a warning to the authorities at all levels in Guangdong to make due preparations. Heavy rainfall in the urban areas means flooding of low-lying places, greater risk of potable water supply malfunctioning, traffic congestions and even power failures.

Heavy rainfall in the rural areas could cause rivers to flood and inundate agricultural fields, damaging crops.

To limit the potential damage, the authorities might need to mobilize more hands to maintain the sewage systems, keep water supply running, fix any existing power problems and help farmers minimize their losses.

Residents in the affected regions also need to be prepared. The least they can do is to keep up to date about the weather and traffic conditions to avoid dangerous places.

Guangdong is only one of the provinces facing the dangers of flood in summer and June is only the beginning of the heavy rainfall season. Hunan, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Jiangxi and many other provincial-level administrative regions in the south may face frequent heavy rains and storms in the coming two months. Even some northern regions might see heavy rainfall and floods. It is time for all regions to make preparations. — ZHANG ZHOUXIANG, CHINA DAILY

JIN DING / CHINA DAILY