The floods that have ravaged Wuzhou, in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, have subsided, according to the city's flood control and drought relief headquarters, but due to continued rainfall in the upper reaches of the Xijiang, water levels are expected to rise again tomorrow morning.

 

The water level of the Xijiang, a branch of the Pearl River, had lessened to 17.2 meters at 2 PM yesterday and 16.7 meters at 8 AM today, about 60 centimeters below the flood warning threshold.

 

With the waters ebbing, 500,000 local residents were involved in restoring flooded areas and life in the city was gradually returning to normal, though how long this improvement will last is unknown.

 

Heavy rainfall in Wuzhou's upriver region brought a flood of a magnitude rarely seen and made the city the worst-hit in China this flood season.

 

Floods flowed over the city’s eastern dikes at 6:50 AM on June 22, peaking at 26.75 meters, 9.45 meters above the warning level, at 12 AM the next day. According to hydrological records, the flood peak was the second highest since 1900.

 

Local governments have been engaged in resuming production in the western districts that were not hit by floods whilst disinfecting and rebuilding the flooded areas in eastern districts that were.

 

Evacuated residents have returned home and stores and restaurants have reopened.

 

(Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2005)