Rivers in southwest China breach warning levels, with thousands evacuated
Extreme rainfall and severe flooding, which meteorologists link to climate change, increasingly pose major challenges as they threaten to overwhelm ageing flood defences, displace millions and wreak havoc on a US$2.8 trillion agricultural sector.
Heavy rains also hit the capital, Beijing, with one area in the sprawling Chaoyang district receiving 68.2mm of rain in a single hour on Thursday morning, the state-run Beijing Daily said.
Ten southwestern rivers, including the Longyan, which flows through the densely populated region of Chongqing, could burst their embankments and levees at any time, broadcaster CCTV warned, citing the water resources ministry.
The remaining 15 had exceeded levels at which they could burst their banks, but posed less of a risk, it added.
More than 24 hours of torrential rain took levels in the Chishui River of Guizhou province to their highest since records began in 1953, the broadcaster said, while the Xiaocao River in Sichuan province stood at its highest in 29 years.
More than 10,000 people were evacuated on Wednesday from cities in the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan, state media said, as the East Asian monsoon rains pushed north from India.
One county in Yunnan recorded 227.8mm of rainfall in 24 hours, for its highest total in a single day since records began in 1958.
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CNA
8 hours ago
- CNA
Extreme weather, safety lapses: Bali ferry tragedy spotlights maritime risks in Southeast Asia
JAKARTA/SINGAPORE: With storm clouds brewing and waters churning, the Tunu Pratama Jaya set sail from the eastern tip of Java on the evening of Jul 2. Passengers, crew and port officials alike expected a rough but routine 45-minute ferry crossing from Banyuwangi to Gilimanuk Port, across the Bali Strait. But midway through the 4.5km voyage, powerful waves struck without warning, tossing the vessel violently from side to side, according to passengers and witnesses who later spoke to local media. 'The waves were high, water was rushing in, all the vehicles (on the ferry's car deck) were moving from side to side. Then a wave hit and killed the engine. Within three minutes, the ship sank. The whole thing happened so fast,' said passenger Syamsul Hidayat in a now-viral TikTok post. The ferry sank so quickly that many of the 65 people on board had no time to put on life jackets or board inflatable life rafts. Even those who did, like Syamsul, found themselves drifting in the Bali Strait for at least five hours, battered by relentless waves, before they were finally rescued. As of Thursday (Jul 10) evening, 15 bodies had been recovered from the frigid waters. Officials have warned that the death toll could climb, with 20 still missing as search and rescue operations continue. The sinking in Indonesia is the latest in a string of deadly maritime accidents across Southeast Asia - a trend analysts link to increasingly erratic conditions fuelled by extreme weather. The incidents have renewed concerns over vessel safety standards and the adequacy of early warning systems across the region's busy, climate-vulnerable waterways. As climate volatility intensifies, experts say so too does the urgency for governments, operators, and passengers to adapt - or risk even deadlier consequences. ROUGHER WATERS Barring 2023, when a prolonged drought kept seas relatively calm, Indonesia has seen a steady rise in maritime accidents in recent years. There were 87 incidents in 2020, compared to 128 in 2024, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation. Experts warn the Indonesian figure may be just the tip of the iceberg, as the Ministry of Transportation does not track accidents involving traditional fishing vessels. Meanwhile, Malaysia recorded 242 marine accidents in 2020, rising to 270 in 2022. The numbers improved slightly in the following years, with 253 incidents in 2023 and 226 in 2024. There are concerns, however, that the numbers may climb again this year. Between January and May this year, 108 maritime incidents were recorded in Malaysian waters, involving 251 people who were either killed, injured or reported missing, according to Mohd Tahir Khalid, a senior official from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA). There have been 36 confirmed deaths, while 12 people remain missing. Mohd Tahir warned that if the current trend continues, Malaysia could see close to 100 lives lost at sea by the end of 2025 - the highest death toll in recent years, after 64 in 2024 and 90 the year before that. "As such, there is an urgent need to enhance public awareness of maritime safety, not only among the maritime community but also the general public who may be at risk while at sea,' said Mohd Tahir as quoted by local news outlet New Straits Times on Jun 28. Analysts have singled out extreme weather as a key driver of the uptick in maritime accidents, with increasingly erratic sea conditions leaving vessels vulnerable. In the Bali ferry sinking, strong winds and high waves struck during a period typically marked by calm seas and clear skies, according to scientists at Indonesia's meteorology agency. Search and rescue efforts have been hampered by lingering choppy conditions, poor weather and limited visibility. It took eight days before officials finally located the wreckage on Thursday morning. The vessel was found 49m underwater, dragged by strong currents some 1.5km from where it originally sank. Officials believe some victims may still be trapped inside. Historically, 60 per cent of Indonesia should be experiencing drought by the end of June. But instead, the meteorology agency has reported recording extreme rainfall across multiple regions, some of which have triggered devastating flash floods and landslides. 'Even though some parts (of Indonesia) have entered the dry season, atmospheric and marine conditions are very dynamic and can have an impact on people's safety and activities,' Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) chief Dwikorita Karnawati said in a statement on Jul 3. Malaysia is also seeing unusual weather patterns this year. On Jul 8, the national meteorological department issued a three-day thunderstorm warning across various regions, just a month after it had warned of a potential heatwave in many of the same areas. The thunderstorm alert came just days after strong winds and high waves capsized a small fibreglass boat carrying 17 people off Belawai Beach in Sarawak. Ten people died in the incident. A week earlier, strong waves were also blamed for the capsizing of another vessel in Terengganu, where three of the 15 passengers died. Scientists believe climate change is not only shifting weather patterns but also making them more extreme, leading to more frequent weather-related accidents and disasters around the world, including in Southeast Asia. The region sits between two of the world's main drivers of global weather phenomena: the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Temperature discrepancies across different parts of these oceans can trigger prolonged droughts in some regions and extended downpours in others. These fluctuations fuel major climate systems - El Nino and La Nina in the Pacific, and positive and negative dipoles in the Indian Ocean. 'In the past, El Nino and La Nina took turns every few years. But now, they oscillate more frequently and the intensity of the weather produced is becoming more extreme,' Jakarta-based climate change expert Mahawan Karuniasa told CNA, adding that the same trend is being observed with the Indian Ocean dipoles. Some parts of Southeast Asia have already experienced unprecedented meteorological events. In April 2021, Cyclone Seroja slammed into Timor, the island shared by Indonesia and Timor-Leste, unleashing flash floods and landslides that killed more than 270 people. The region was unlikely to be structurally or institutionally prepared for such a disaster, as cyclones usually form much further south in the Indian Ocean. 'The majority of disasters in Southeast Asia are hydro-meteorological, such as flooding, landslides, storms and high waves. These disasters are happening more frequently,' Mahawan said. THE CHOPPY JOURNEY TO SAFER SEAS Even as climate risks grow more severe across Southeast Asia's waterways, analysts say perennial issues such as lax safety standards, ageing vessels, and weak enforcement continue to undermine maritime safety. Recent accidents in Indonesia and Malaysia underscore the problem, with safety protocols snubbed and fatalities that experts say could have been easily prevented. In the Terengganu accident, authorities discovered that the travel agency and boat operator did not have valid licences. Meanwhile, the boatman, who later tested positive for drugs, failed to ensure passengers wore life jackets. Kuala Lumpur-based maritime scholar Nazery Khalid said Malaysia has no shortage of maritime safety regulations, but as the Terengganu accident demonstrated, enforcement is where the system falls short. 'The boat owner or operator would not have been allowed to carry passengers in the first place and hire a boatman with such a background, should there have been more stringent checks and strict enforcement by the authorities involved,' he told CNA. 'This is simply unacceptable and a clear failure of enforcement.' Experts say Thailand once faced similar challenges with lax enforcement of maritime safety regulations. That changed in July 2018, when a double-decker tourist boat, Phoenix PC Diving, capsized near Phuket during a sudden storm. Forty-six people were killed, all of them Chinese tourists. Subsequent investigations found that the vessel had ignored a severe weather warning in effect since the day before. Police also found that it was poorly built, using substandard materials and design. The tragedy triggered a sharp drop in Chinese tourist arrivals to Phuket, costing the island more than US$1 billion in lost revenue. Under mounting international scrutiny, Thailand ramped up enforcement of its maritime safety laws, including a mandate requiring all passengers and crew to wear life vests at all times. That requirement, coupled with enforcement, has proved lifesaving. On Jan 13, when a boat sank off the popular resort island of Ko Racha Yai, all 38 people on board, including 33 Chinese tourists, were safely rescued, despite the vessel sinking deep in the Andaman Sea. 'The mandatory life jacket policy proved crucial,' Nachapong Pranit, director of the Phuket regional harbour office, said after the incident, as quoted by Thai news platform Khaosod. 'All passengers were wearing their life jackets when the emergency occurred, allowing them to stay safely afloat until rescue arrived.' Since the 2018 tragedy, there have not been any major marine accidents in Thailand. While Thailand has stepped up safety enforcement, Indonesia has struggled to do the same. 'If only (boat operators) are following the rules, the number of accidents will surely go down,' Setyo Nugroho, a maritime transportation expert from Indonesia's Ten November Technology Institute, told CNA. He said there have been cases where operators overloaded boats to maximise profits, or cut corners by skipping essential repairs to faulty engines or decaying hulls. 'These things keep happening and there is no sign that things are changing,' Setyo said. In light of the Bali Strait incident, several Indonesian lawmakers are pushing the Ministry of Transportation to inspect all ferries operating in the vast archipelagic nation. They are also calling for a 25-year age limit on vessels in service. According to official records, the Tunu Pratama Jaya was built in 2010, placing it well within the proposed cap. Officials from the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) said investigations into the Bali Strait ferry sinking are ongoing, but acknowledged that rough weather was a major contributing factor. KNKT officials are also examining whether the vessel was seaworthy and if all safety measures had been followed by the crew prior to the incident. Experts say Malaysia, too, must step up regular inspections of passenger vessels. 'Any boats found with engine faults, structural weaknesses or expired safety equipment - making them vulnerable during bad weather - must be suspended from operations until the problems are rectified,' Hairul Azmi Mohamed, a senior lecturer at the Netherlands Maritime University College (NMUC) in Johor Bahru, told CNA. China's waters: Safer but not risk-free By Melody Chan Bolstering maritime safety is also a constant work in progress for other countries in Asia, such as China. A decade on, China's deadliest peacetime maritime disaster remains a defining moment - not only for the scale of its tragedy, but for the changes it set in motion. In June 2015, the cruise ship Eastern Star capsized while sailing along the Yangtze River, killing 442 people. Most of the victims were elderly tourists. Investigations found that the vessel had sailed into a fierce thunderstorm. Gale-force winds and driving rain, coupled with human error and oversight failures, resulted in the tragedy. The disaster led to a wave of reforms as safety protocols and emergency responses across China's inland waterways came under review. Authorities tightened sailing rules in bad weather, raised ship design standards, introduced real-time tracking, and enhanced crew safety training. Older vessels were phased out and blacklists were created to bar unsafe operators. It once took eight hours for rescuers to reach the Eastern Star. Today, provinces like Jiangsu have established rapid-response zones where help can arrive within an hour, and most passenger vessels are now equipped with smart alert systems and emergency escape tools. The numbers reflect that shift. Reported deaths from waterway transport accidents fell by over 60 per cent between 2015 and 2023, according to the country's Maritime Safety Administration, though the 2015 tally was unusually high due to the Eastern Star disaster. But risks remain, especially along smaller rivers and in rural areas. At least two fatal incidents have occurred across China in the past few months, all involving sudden, powerful winds. In May, four sightseeing boats capsized in Guizhou province during a sudden storm, leaving 10 dead. Experts later confirmed record wind speeds, amplified by the area's complex terrain. Just earlier in July, a leisure boat carrying 29 passengers capsized at Dongjiang Lake in Hunan province. Two died, while 27 were rescued. Investigators said the boat was hit by a sudden gust of wind just moments before it overturned. The rise in sudden, violent gusts, whether from localised storms or broader monsoon activity, has raised questions about shifting wind patterns as climate change increasingly makes its mark. Wang Lin, a researcher at the Center for Monsoon System Research under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told CNA that typhoons typically have limited impact on inland areas like Hubei - where the Eastern Star sank - but pose greater risks along the eastern coast. 'Over the past decade, we've observed a noticeable trend of typhoons shifting northward and strengthening, which suggests growing risks for northern China,' said Wang. At the same time, he noted that China's current ability to forecast typhoon paths and intensity is relatively advanced, with a strong capacity to respond to associated risks. Beyond climate risks, lapses in safety measures remain a concern. Overloading, lax licensing and insufficient early warnings over extreme weather have emerged as recurring factors in China's recent maritime incidents. While enforcement has strengthened along major waterways like the Yangtze River, unregistered ferries and tour boats continue to operate across smaller rivers and inland lakes. And as rural tourism grows and storms intensify, experts say the next challenge will be ensuring those upgrades reach the smallest boats - before the next gust hits. TURNING THE TIDE THROUGH TECH? But even if countries successfully bolster monitoring and enforcement, experts warn these measures alone may fall short as extreme weather events grow more frequent and intense. To ensure safer voyages amid increasingly unpredictable seas, sailors may need to lean more heavily on technology. 'With the current uncertain weather, sudden weather changes, it is very important to have a system to monitor weather (and) inform or update the boat operators from time to time to ensure the safety of all users,' Hairul said. Maritime expert Nazery echoed the sentiment. 'Investing in equipment and systems is not just important, but critical to prevent maritime incidents - especially in routes and areas which are prone to severe weather, storms or rapid changes in sea and wind conditions,' he said. Nazery said Southeast Asian countries need to start investing more in radars, buoys and sensors to strengthen their weather forecasting and early warning systems. More pressingly, vessel owners and operators must also do their part, he added, describing them as the key to ensuring safer voyages at sea. By investing in mobile alert systems, communication tools and high-resolution satellite coverage systems, sailors can chart safer routes and avoid extreme weather, Nazery said. 'Just as importantly, (boat operators) need to allocate investment to train their staff and crew to use these equipment and systems effectively,' he said. 'The owners and operators of these vessels … must embed a 'safety first' culture and ensure all their vessels are seaworthy and their crew well trained to face any eventualities,' he said. Mahawan, the climate change expert, said all parties need to change their attitudes towards safety as the sea grows more volatile. 'Passengers must not protest when they are being told to wear life vests, boat operators must not snub bad weather warnings because they want money from passengers and government officials must not only ramp up inspections after an accident occurs,' he said. 'Sea transportation is becoming riskier as weather becomes more and more extreme, and it is important that disaster preparedness at sea is stepped up.'
AsiaOne
2 days ago
- AsiaOne
Rivers in southwest China breach warning levels, with thousands evacuated, China News
BEIJING — The levels of 25 rivers in southwestern China exceeded safe levels on Thursday (July 10), state media said, after more than 10,000 people were evacuated as the remnants of former typhoon Danas converged with East Asian monsoon rains. Extreme rainfall and severe flooding, which meteorologists link to climate change, increasingly pose major challenges as they threaten to overwhelm ageing flood defences, displace millions and wreak havoc on a US$2.8-trillion (S$3.58-trillion) agricultural sector. Heavy rains also hit the capital, Beijing, with one area in the sprawling Chaoyang district receiving 68.2mm of rain in a single hour on Thursday morning, the state-run Beijing Daily said. Ten southwestern rivers, including the Longyan, which flows through the densely populated region of Chongqing, could burst their embankments and levees at any time, broadcaster CCTV warned, citing the water resources ministry. The remaining 15 had exceeded levels at which they could burst their banks, but posed less of a risk, it added. More than 24 hours of torrential rain took levels in the Chishui River of Guizhou province to their highest since records began in 1953, the broadcaster said, while the Xiaocao River in Sichuan province stood at its highest in 29 years. More than 10,000 people were evacuated on Wednesday from cities in the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan, state media said, as the East Asian monsoon rains pushed north from India. One county in Yunnan recorded 227.8 mm of rainfall in 24 hours, for its highest total in a single day since records began in 1958. Beijing health authorities warned that the combination of frequent downpours, high temperatures and humidity swells the risk of water and food contamination. [[nid:720030]]
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Rivers in southwest China breach warning levels, with thousands evacuated
BEIJING: The levels of 25 rivers in southwestern China exceeded safe levels on Thursday (Jul 10), state media said, after more than 10,000 people were evacuated as the remnants of former typhoon Danas converged with East Asian monsoon rains. Extreme rainfall and severe flooding, which meteorologists link to climate change, increasingly pose major challenges as they threaten to overwhelm ageing flood defences, displace millions and wreak havoc on a US$2.8 trillion agricultural sector. Heavy rains also hit the capital, Beijing, with one area in the sprawling Chaoyang district receiving 68.2mm of rain in a single hour on Thursday morning, the state-run Beijing Daily said. Ten southwestern rivers, including the Longyan, which flows through the densely populated region of Chongqing, could burst their embankments and levees at any time, broadcaster CCTV warned, citing the water resources ministry. The remaining 15 had exceeded levels at which they could burst their banks, but posed less of a risk, it added. More than 24 hours of torrential rain took levels in the Chishui River of Guizhou province to their highest since records began in 1953, the broadcaster said, while the Xiaocao River in Sichuan province stood at its highest in 29 years. More than 10,000 people were evacuated on Wednesday from cities in the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan, state media said, as the East Asian monsoon rains pushed north from India. One county in Yunnan recorded 227.8mm of rainfall in 24 hours, for its highest total in a single day since records began in 1958.
