Firms in Guangdong cease production amid flood warnings

China’s manufacturing hub of Guangdong raised its flood warning to the highest level due to the worst rains in decades, spurring more evacuations and threatening further supply chain disruptions in an economy reeling from Covid-related lockdowns, reports Bloomberg.

Shaoguan, a major industrial production center in the north of the province, warned firms to halt output and suspended public transport after a “severe flood disaster” in the past few days. Average precipitation in the city exceeded previous records, according to the local government. 

Guangdong, along with the southern provinces of Fujian and Guangxi, has been hit by record rains over the past month, forcing millions of people to evacuate from low-lying areas in the Pearl River basin.

Meanwhile, the south-western province of Sichuan have been hit by flash floods triggered by torrential rain, leaving at least six people dead and another 12 are missing. Rainfall was as much as 98.9mm in the worst-affected areas, almost double the July average.

The floods come amid a heatwave affecting parts of the country, including eastern Zhejiang province and Shanghai, with temperatures soaring as high as 42C (107.6F) last week.

The heatwaves are expected to return this week, lasting through to late August, the state weather forecaster has warned.