Over 120,000 people have been evacuated, coal mines have been closed, and crops have been devastated after uncharacteristically strong rains swamped north China’s Shanxi province over the weekend, according to state media, with more rain expected.
The flood comes only months after the country’s central Henan province was ravaged by record floods in July, killing more than 300 people, and raises concerns about energy supply ahead of the winter.
According to the provincial government, many regions of Shanxi, a landlocked province with normally dry weather, had record-breaking rainfall over the last week, prompting coal miners to implement flood-proofing measures and prepare emergency plans to be “activated immediately in case of grave danger.”
According to a local government statement, at least 60 coal mines in the province — one of China’s top coal-producing regions — have halted operations due to flooding, even as the country suffers a power shortage.
Beijing has recently ordered coal miners to cut no corners in order to enhance production and assure supply, as well as allowing higher energy rates in order to promote generation. Analysts have expressed concern that the decision may exacerbate inflation issues.
Widespread power outages have occurred in China as a result of high coal prices, state-imposed electricity price controls, and stringent emissions objectives, all of which have strained the power supply.
More than 1.75 million people have been affected by the floods in Shanxi, which got more than three times the usual monthly rainfall for October in just five days last week, according to state news agency Xinhua.
According to the local Communist Party newspaper Shanxi Evening News, an estimated 190,000 hectares of crops were devastated, and 17,000 dwellings were reduced to rubble.
More rain is expected in the coming days, according to Shanxi’s meteorological bureau, which urged farmers to “rush to harvest when the weather is clear.”
A death toll has yet to be released by authorities.
The Shanxi Evening News aired video images of rescuers wading through murky waters and drifting down flooded city streets on rafts.
Meanwhile, state broadcaster CCTV showed workers repairing a broken dam, and railway tracks left suspended over water after part of the bridge they were on collapsed.
