China is Suffering from Floods, Wildfires, a Deadly New Virus and Locust Problem

China is suffering its worst floods in 70 years, while the Corona-virus has returned, closing the capital because of a strain allegedly more virulent than the one that struck Wuhan.

And in parts of eastern Jiangsu there is a wild fire situation, leaving western China with a emerging locust problem is emerging.

A yellow flood warning was issued on Wednesday June 24 – one of many in China in recent days – by Jiangxi Provincial Hydrological Bureau and the eastern province’s Meteorological Observatory.

Forecasters said torrential rain was likely to cause small and medium-sized river floods and heavy flash floods in eastern Shangrao, northern Ganzhou, northwest and southwest Ji’an, plus central Nanchang for 24 hours.

On Tuesday night there was speculation that intense rain over catchment areas that feed into the Yangtze River would cause a giant flood that would test the Three Gorges Dam.

The Three Gorges Dam opened its floodgates without warning the many millions who live downstream. The authorities have said more than 400 reservoirs have burst their banks, but did not reveal if the Three Gorges was one of these.

According to a video released by netizens, the county has become a vast ocean, with houses and vehicles flooded. Houses were washed away by the flood and some roads collapsed. They said it is the worst flood in nearly 100 years.

Besides flooding, officials have issued alerts on locusts spreading from Pakistan. But conditions are said to be ripe for locust swarms this year.

The most recent record of locusts in China are mainly from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and during the early liberation period, locust plagues occurred in Henan, Xinjiang and other places.

In Beijing, the local disease control officials say the current Corona-virus strain is much more virulent than the one that hit Wuhan earlier in the year.

They estimate it is between two to 10 times more infectious. Roads and other routes out of the city are closed and monitored except to commercial traffic.

Since 2013 China has been creating 55 billion tons of artificial rain a year. The country is now embarking on its biggest rainmaking project ever, and make it rain over area 3 times the size of Spain.

The Tibetan plateau is vital to the water supply for much of China and a large area of Asia. Its glaciers and reservoirs feed the Yellow, Yangtze, Mekong, and other major rivers that flow through China, India, Nepal, and other countries.

Asia Times / ABC Flash Point Weather News 2020.