China Raises Jiangsu Flood Response to Level 3 as Taihu Basin Flooding Intensifies

The National Flood Control Headquarters has elevated Jiangsu Province’s flood emergency response from Level 4 to Level 3, responding to basin-wide major flooding in the Taihu Lake region triggered by the residual effects of Typhoon White Dolphin. The escalation, announced on August 15, came as authorities also activated a Level 4 response for neighboring Zhejiang Province and dispatched additional work teams to Jiangsu to assist with flood control and rescue operations, according to Guangming Daily.

Typhoon White Dolphin’s Lingering Impact

The crisis traces back to Typhoon No. 13, “White Dolphin,” which made landfall twice along Zhejiang’s coast on August 9—first in Yuhuan, Taizhou as a strong typhoon with maximum winds of 42 meters per second, then again in Yueqing, Wenzhou hours later. While the typhoon was officially de-numbered by August 12, its residual circulation combined with cold air to produce widespread, sustained heavy rainfall across multiple regions, as China Economic Net reported.

The Ministry of Water Resources had anticipated the prolonged threat, with Minister Li Guoying chairing a special consultation on August 12 to assess the typhoon’s residual impacts. The ministry identified seven priority areas for flood defense, emphasizing the need to “firmly shoulder the political responsibility for flood control” and anchor on goals of no casualties, no reservoir dam failures, no important embankment breaches, and no impact on critical infrastructure, according to China Economic Net’s coverage of the Economic Daily report.

Taihu Lake Basin Experiences Major Flooding

The escalating situation came to a head on August 14 when the Taihu Lake water level rose to 4.20 meters at 15:40, exceeding the warning level of 3.80 meters by 0.40 meters. Under China’s national flood classification standards, this constituted basin-wide major flooding for the Taihu Lake basin. The Ministry of Water Resources subsequently raised the flood defense emergency response for the basin from Level IV to Level III at 18:00 that day, as 21st Century Business Herald reported.

Forecasts indicated the Taihu Lake water level could potentially exceed 4.30 meters, with the basin expected to receive moderate to heavy rain for the next two days. Multiple river network stations around the lake exceeded warning and guarantee levels, placing significant pressure on surrounding embankments.

Water conservancy authorities have been conducting coordinated dispatch operations to manage the flood. From August 6 to 13, they stored 1.95 billion cubic meters of floodwater in Taihu Lake while discharging 2.04 billion cubic meters through outlets along the Yangtze River, the coast, and Hangzhou Bay—efforts designed to lower regional river network water levels and reduce flood risk, according to the 21st Century Business Herald report.

Regional Flood Response Intensifies

The August 15 joint consultation, organized by the National Flood Control Headquarters Office and the Ministry of Emergency Management, brought together multiple departments and provinces including Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Henan, and Guangdong. The consultation identified a severe and complex flood control situation, noting that the Shaying River in the Huai River basin and the Chu River in the Yangtze River basin maintained high water levels with significant embankment defense pressure, while continued heavy rainstorms in Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong posed high risks of mountain torrents and geological disasters, as First Financial reported.

Beyond the Taihu basin, the broader regional picture remains challenging. In Henan’s Zhoukou city, a 117-meter breach in the Jialu River east bank embankment occurred on the night of August 13. By the afternoon of August 15, more than 90 meters of the breach had been sealed, according to CCTV News. The Ministry of Emergency Management has since dispatched 13 drainage teams from multiple provinces to assist with water removal operations in Zhoukou, with a combined drainage capacity of approximately 220,000 cubic meters per hour, as CCTV reported.

Zhejiang has also experienced widespread short-duration heavy rainfall, with severe waterlogging in Changxing County, Huzhou, where floodwaters in some areas reached depths exceeding three meters. Rescue teams conducted door-to-door searches to evacuate residents who had initially refused to leave their homes, according to China Daily.

The National Disaster Reduction and Relief Committee maintained Level 4 national disaster relief emergency responses for Zhejiang, Henan, Shaanxi, and Heilongjiang, while the Ministry of Emergency Management sustained Level 4 geological disaster responses for Zhejiang, Anhui, Henan, and Hubei.

Coordinated Defense Measures

The consultation emphasized the need to closely monitor nighttime and mountainous rainfall, strengthen rainfall and water regime monitoring and forecasting, and comprehensively reinforce patrol and defense of embankments above warning levels and reservoirs above flood-limited levels. Authorities were directed to increase patrol frequency at dangerous sections, historical risk points, and embankment-bridge intersections, and to promptly organize emergency rescue operations to “resolutely prevent important embankment breaches and reservoir dam failures,” as reported by Guangming Daily.

Water conservancy departments across affected provinces have been coordinating closely. The Taihu Lake Basin Authority, together with Jiangsu and Zhejiang provincial water departments, has been conducting joint dispatch of water conservancy projects. Provincial-level responses have included pre-discharging reservoir storage, halting construction projects in flood-risk areas, and pre-transferring populations from dangerous zones, according to China Water.

Outlook

The Central Meteorological Observatory forecast that on August 16, the typhoon’s residual circulation would move eastward out to sea, with heavy rain in East China largely coming to an end. However, parts of Jiangnan, South China, Jilin, and Heilongjiang were still expected to experience rainfall, and authorities warned of potential secondary disasters from sustained or locally intense precipitation.

As the flood season continues, the focus now shifts to post-flood recovery and the continued monitoring of high-risk areas. The successful sealing of the Jialu River breach and the coordinated multi-provincial response demonstrate the scale of China’s flood control machinery, but the coming days will test the resilience of embankments and reservoirs across the affected regions. With the Taihu Lake water level expected to remain elevated, authorities in Jiangsu and Zhejiang will need to maintain heightened vigilance until water levels recede to safe thresholds.