Credits: Reuters
Last month, farmers in central China’s agricultural heartland faced scorching temperatures and an absence of rain, particularly in Henan province. The sweltering heat left many scrambling to irrigate their parched crops during a crucial growing period. Authorities limited water use and seeded clouds in an effort to induce rainfall, according to state media.
However, within a month, the same region was deluged with torrential rain, submerging tens of thousands of acres of farmland and displacing over 100,000 residents. Nanyang city, one of the hardest-hit areas, received over 600 millimeters (about 24 inches) of rain in just 24 hours—three-quarters of its annual average. Dramatic footage online showed rescuers using speedboats and wading through waist-deep waters to evacuate people from their homes.
This scenario is increasingly common across China. In recent weeks, deadly floods and landslides have forced tens of thousands to evacuate multiple provinces, blocked highways, destroyed homes, and caused significant financial losses by wiping out crops and livestock.
The swift transition from drought to flooding underscores the major challenge facing the Chinese government as extreme weather events become more frequent due to human-driven climate change. Emergency response and recovery are becoming regular occurrences.
The recent flooding in Henan and neighboring provinces, compounded by weeks of severe heat followed by deluges, has extended a period of extreme weather across China. Torrential rainfall has battered southern, central, and eastern regions, triggering significant emergency response efforts. This flood season began two months earlier than usual and just entered its peak period last week.
China’s Communist Party has acknowledged the urgency of the situation. Following a landmark meeting led by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a communique pledged to “refine the measures for monitoring, preventing, and controlling natural disasters, especially floods.”
The government has become increasingly aware of the domestic risks posed by climate change, particularly its impact on food security as droughts and floods affect key grain-producing areas. As the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, China aims to lead the global transition to green energy, although it continues to struggle with high coal demand due to energy needs.
Meanwhile, authorities are dealing with these crises amid rising social frustration over China’s faltering economy and the country’s overall direction. Local governments, burdened with high debt levels, are tasked with managing recovery efforts.
Before the recent floods, natural disasters had already resulted in nearly $13 billion in direct economic losses and impacted 32 million people this year, according to China’s Ministry of Emergency Management.
