Tianjin issued a red alert on Sunday, the highest level of warning, for possible floods in its Daqinghe River, a major tributary of the Haihe River, which is currently undergoing its worst flooding since 1963, said local authorities.
The Daqinghe River saw its floods reach the range of Tianjin at noon on August 4 when the city had already put the river's significant floodwater detention and retention area into use.
Relevant personnel, emergency vehicles and disaster relief materials have been sent to the floodwater detention and retention area, with the riverway's outer embankment reinforcement work underway.
At present, the Haihe River Basin in northern China is experiencing the worst flooding caused by rainstorms, said the Haihe River Water Conservancy Commission under the Ministry of Water Resources.
Tianjin has relocated more than 80,000 residents from flood-prone areas, as a large volume of upstream water flows toward the city, posing a major challenge to authorities to prevent damage.
Tianjin has taken multiple measures to prepare for the floodwaters, including reinforcing riverside dikes, dredging waterways and relocating large swathes of residents.
The majority of relocations are from Xiqing and Jinghai districts, which are covered by the Dongdian water detention area. The low-lying area, which helps divert and retard floodwaters, was put into use on Aug 1.
The area covers 379 square kilometers, with 100 sq km in the two districts of Tianjin. The remainder of the detention area is in Hebei.
According to a notice from Jinghai district's flood prevention authority, all the residents in Taitou, Duliu and Wangkou townships were relocated before Thursday.
More than 30,000 people from 23 villages have been relocated, according to ThePaper.cn.
Residents of two other districts, Wuqing and Beichen, were earlier relocated, as they were also in flood-prone areas.
