June 19 (Xinhua) — According to measurements reported by the Hydrology Center of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, affected by rainfall and upstream inflows, the flow at the Wuxuan Hydrological Station on the Qianjiang River reached 25,000 cubic meters per second at 21:25 on June 18. In accordance with the "Regulations on Flood Numbering for Major Rivers Nationwide" issued by the Ministry of Water Resources of China, this flood is numbered "Xijiang Flood No. 2 of 2024."

　　The Xijiang River connects Yunnan and Guizhou to the west, runs through Guangxi, and links to Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to the east. Since the onset of the flood season, several river sections along the Xijiang in Wuzhou, Guigang and other parts of Guangxi have repeatedly experienced floods exceeding warning levels. On June 15, the Xijiang experienced its No. 1 flood of 2024.

On June 18, maritime law enforcement officers evacuated stranded residents in Yunjiang Ancient Town, Xiangzhou, Laibin City, Guangxi.

　　According to the Guangxi maritime authorities, water levels on the Qianjiang, Hongshuihe and Liujiang river sections are still rising rapidly, and the flood control situation is grim. The Laibin Maritime Safety Administration has activated a Level IV flood control emergency response, stepped up patrol and inspection of key waters, strengthened safety supervision of vessels and floating facilities in waters under its jurisdiction, and dispatched flood control working groups to the scene to guide vessels, hydraulic engineering construction units and others in making all-out flood control preparations.

　　To safeguard water traffic safety in the jurisdiction, the Guangxi maritime authorities have strengthened round-the-clock duty and watch arrangements and dispatched maritime patrol vessels to tighten supervision of the navigable environment in the jurisdiction, focusing on inspections of duty watches and mooring conditions of vessels anchored at the second waiting lockage anchorage above the Datengxia Water Conservancy Hub. At present, all 21 ferry crossings in the Laibin jurisdiction of Guangxi have suspended service, and the maritime authorities have imposed water traffic control on the waters upstream and downstream of the Mawang Bridge on the Qianjiang River.

　　Affected by heavy rainfall, the water level at the Liuzhou Hydrological Station on the Liujiang River in Guangxi rose to the warning level of 82.50 meters at 8:53 on June 18, and the Liujiang experienced its No. 1 flood of 2024. At 15:00 that day, the Liujiang flood peak passed through Xiangzhou, and Yunjiang Ancient Town in Xiangzhou was surrounded by floodwaters and turned into an "isolated island." The Laibin maritime authorities rushed to the scene to carry out rescue operations. After two hours of intense rescue work, 53 trapped residents were relocated to safety.

　　Recently, Guangxi has experienced prolonged and intense rainfall, with overlapping rainstorm areas and high disaster risk. According to forecasts by the Hydrology Center of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, over the next one to three days, relatively large floods may occur on some small and medium-sized rivers in Liuzhou, Guilin, Hechi, Laibin, Hezhou and Wuzhou cities in Guangxi.