Kathmandu— Heavy rain from Typhoon Dolphin continued to impact large areas of China on Tuesday, triggering heightened flood-control measures, train suspensions, and warnings across Beijing, Tianjin, and several central and eastern provinces. Authorities have mobilized emergency personnel and resources in anticipation of widespread urban flooding, landslides, and overflowing reservoirs as the storm continues its path inland.

Emergency Responses Activated

Beijing activated a Level II flood-control emergency response – its second-highest level – at 9 a.m. Tuesday, bracing for heavy rainfall expected to exceed 100 millimeters within six hours and 150 millimeters over 24 hours. The city has deployed over 23,000 emergency workers and more than 2,000 vehicles, while also opening roads and parking facilities for emergency use. Tianjin Municipality issued warnings of potential storm surges along its coast from Tuesday afternoon through Sunday, compounded by high tides.

Widespread Rainfall and Flood Warnings

Henan Province raised its flood-control response to Level III in nine cities and the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone, with some areas remaining at Level IV. The provincial meteorological observatory issued an orange rainstorm alert after heavy rainfall drenched much of the province south of the Yellow River, with Queshan County recording 286.6 millimeters of rain in the past 24 hours. Forecasters predict isolated areas could receive between 250 and 350 millimeters of additional rainfall through Wednesday.

Transportation Disrupted

Rail traffic has been significantly disrupted, particularly in Hubei Province, where heavy-to-exceptionally heavy rain prompted China Railway Wuhan Group to temporarily suspend multiple services linking Wuhan with major cities like Beijing and Xi'an. Further suspensions are anticipated on several key railway lines through Friday. In Tianjin, designated bus lanes will be opened to all vehicles during peak hours to ease congestion, while subway capacity is being increased.

Reservoir Levels Rising

Flooding has already begun in Anhui Province, with the Pihe River recording its first flood of 2024. As of Tuesday morning, numerous reservoirs across Anhui were operating above their flood-control limits and releasing water to maintain safety. Similarly, Taihu Lake’s water level reached warning levels, marking the lake's first numbered flood event of the year.

Typhoon Dolphin, the 13th typhoon of the year, made landfall in Zhejiang Province on Sunday and continues to bring heavy rain across a broad swath of China through Wednesday afternoon, including major cities like Shanghai and Shandong.

(With inputs from Xinhua)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.