Latest news with #BaiyunAirport
Globe and Mail
5 days ago
- Climate
- Globe and Mail
Monsoon in southern China unleashes landslides, threatens to worsen chikungunya outbreak
Rescue crews raced on Wednesday to clear debris and flooded roads as southern China braced for more extreme rainfall and spreading infection after some of the worst downpours this century, brought by a peak in East Asian monsoon rains. Forecasters warned of more thunderstorms after the century's second-heaviest August rains pounded Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, forcing its Baiyun airport, one of the world's busiest, to cancel 363 flights and delay 311. The day before, the skies above Hong Kong and the high-tech cities of China's Pearl River Delta turned livid and dumped the heaviest August rainfall since 1884 on the Asian financial hub. Destructive floods expose climate risks to infrastructure in South Asia Rescue teams in Guangdong scrambled to open drains and pump water away from urban areas, state media said, as the intense rain set off mudslides and felled trees on highways, ripping up roads to expose cabling and other infrastructure. Video images showed roads transformed into brown waterways, threatening to worsen a major outbreak of chikungunya, fuelled by mosquitoes thriving in stagnant flood water, which had been on a downtrend before the latest rains. Guangdong had reported more than 7,000 of the virus infections earlier. China has suffered weeks of atmospheric chaos since July, battered by heavier-than-usual downpours with the East Asian monsoon stalling over its north and south. Weather experts link the shifting pattern to climate change, testing officials as flash floods displace thousands and threaten billions of dollars in economic losses. On Tuesday, Beijing allocated more than 1-billion yuan ($192-million) in disaster relief for Guangdong and the northern province of Hebei, as well as the capital, Beijing, and the northern region of Inner Mongolia, state news agency Xinhua said, including subsidies for damage to grain-growing areas. 'The rains will drive up prices for fresh fruits and vegetables,' said Dan Wang, a China expert at Eurasia Group. While some farmers might be able to exploit the situation to their benefit, agricultural losses would hit incomes as a whole, she added. Cold-chain storage providers could benefit, she said, while higher prices could sustain consumer prices, after the latest data showed the first rise in five months. Even e-commerce may not be immune, as a landslide north of Guangzhou early on Wednesday hit 'Taobao Village', a community where many households run shops on China's Alibaba platform, trapping 14 people, with half the number still missing. Across the province, 16 rivers threaten to breach their banks, with water levels at two sites reaching their highest since 2017 and 2018. But the worst may be yet to come, with two to three typhoons expected to strike in August, emergency management authorities said on Tuesday. Heavy rains, flooding kill at least 34 people in and near Beijing The city of Foshan west of Guangzhou has been the epicentre of the province's chikungunya outbreak, while at least a dozen more have reported infections, which typically cause fever and severe joint pain, though deaths are rare. The next few weeks are especially daunting for disease prevention and control, say provincial authorities, after the flood season, worsened by typhoons and heavy rain, boosted mosquito activity. Spread by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, global infections of the disease number at least 240,000 this year. But the disease and rainfall will have an uneven economic impact on China, thanks to their localized nature, said Chim Lee, a senior analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit. 'In harder-hit areas like Guangdong, outdoor activity is discouraged, and many brick-and-mortar, consumer-facing businesses are seeing a drop in footfall,' he added. 'Industrial and commercial operations are also feeling the strain.'
CNA
5 days ago
- Climate
- CNA
Monsoon peaks in south China, unleashing landslides, disease
BEIJING: Rescue crews raced on Wednesday (Jul 6) to clear debris and flooded roads as southern China braced for more extreme rainfall and spreading infection after some of the worst downpours this century, as East Asian monsoon rains peak. Forecasters warned of more thunderstorms after the century's second-heaviest August rains pounded Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, forcing its Baiyun airport, one of the world's busiest, to cancel 363 flights and delay 311. The day before, the skies above Hong Kong and the high-tech cities of China's Pearl River Delta turned livid and dumped the heaviest August rainfall since 1884 on the Asian financial centre. Rescue crews in Guangdong scrambled to open drains and pump water away from urban areas, state media said, as the intense rain set off mudslides and felled trees on highways, tearing away road surfaces to expose cabling and other infrastructure. Video images showed roads transformed into brown waterways, threatening to worsen a major outbreak of Chikungunya, fuelled by mosquitoes thriving in stagnant flood water, which had been on a downtrend before the latest rains. Guangdong had reported more than 7,000 of the virus infections earlier. China has suffered weeks of atmospheric chaos since July as it is battered by downpours heavier than usual batter with the East Asian monsoon stalling over its north and south. Weather experts link the shifting pattern to climate change, testing officials as flash floods displace thousands and threaten billions of dollars in economic losses. On Tuesday, Beijing allocated more than 1 billion yuan (US$139 million) in disaster relief for Guangdong and the northern province of Hebei, as well as the capital, Beijing, and the northern region of Inner Mongolia, state news agency Xinhua said, including subsidies for damage to grain-growing areas. Extreme rainfall swept at least five people to their deaths in Guangdong over the weekend, triggering a large-scale search effort by more than 1,300 rescuers. Sixteen rivers across Guangdong threaten to breach their banks, with water levels at two sites reaching their highest since 2017 and 2018. The worst may be yet to come, with two to three typhoons expected to strike in August, emergency management authorities said on Tuesday. DISEASE OUTBREAK The city of Foshan west of Guangzhou has been the epicentre of the province's Chikungunya outbreak, while at least a dozen more have reported infections, which typically cause fever and severe joint pain, though deaths are rare. The next few weeks are especially daunting for disease prevention and control, say provincial authorities, after the flood season, worsened by typhoons and heavy rain, boosted mosquito activity. Spread by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, global infections of the disease number at least 240,000 this year.
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
Monsoon peaks in south China, unleashing landslides and disease
Rescue crews raced on Wednesday to clear debris and flooded roads as southern China braced for more extreme rainfall and the spread of infection after some of the worst downpours this century, as East Asian monsoon rains peaked. Forecasters warned of more thunderstorms after the second-heaviest August rains this century pounded Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, forcing Baiyun airport—one of the world's busiest—to cancel 363 flights and delay 311. The day before, skies above Hong Kong and the high-tech cities of China's Pearl River Delta turned livid and dumped the heaviest August rainfall since 1884 on the Asian financial center. Rescue crews in Guangdong scrambled to open drains and pump water away from urban areas, state media said, as the intense rain set off mudslides and felled trees on highways, tearing away road surfaces to expose cabling and other infrastructure. Video images showed roads transformed into brown waterways, threatening to worsen a major outbreak of Chikungunya, fueled by mosquitoes thriving in stagnant flood water. The outbreak had been on a downtrend before the latest rains. Guangdong had reported more than 7,000 virus infections earlier. China has endured weeks of atmospheric chaos since July, battered by downpours heavier than usual as the East Asian monsoon stalled over both the north and south. Weather experts link the shifting pattern to climate change, testing officials as flash floods displace thousands and threaten billions of dollars in economic losses. On Tuesday, Beijing allocated more than 1 billion yuan (USD 139 million) in disaster relief for Guangdong, the northern province of Hebei, the capital Beijing, and the northern region of Inner Mongolia, according to state news agency Xinhua. The aid includes subsidies for damage to grain-growing areas. Extreme rainfall swept at least five people to their deaths in Guangdong over the weekend, triggering a large-scale search effort by more than 1,300 rescuers. Sixteen rivers across Guangdong are threatening to breach their banks, with water levels at two sites reaching their highest since 2017 and 2018. The worst may be yet to come, with two to three typhoons expected to strike in August, emergency management authorities warned Tuesday. Disease outbreak The city of Foshan, west of Guangzhou, has been the epicenter of the province's Chikungunya outbreak, while at least a dozen other locations have reported infections. The disease typically causes fever and severe joint pain, though deaths are rare. The next few weeks are especially daunting for disease prevention and control, say provincial authorities, as the flood season—worsened by typhoons and heavy rain—has boosted mosquito activity. Spread by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, global infections of the disease number at least 240,000 this year.
Reuters
5 days ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Monsoon peaks in south China, unleashing landslides, disease
BEIJING, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Rescue crews raced on Wednesday to clear debris and flooded roads as southern China braced for more extreme rainfall and spreading infection after some of the worst downpours this century, as East Asian monsoon rains peak. Forecasters warned of more thunderstorms after the century's second-heaviest August rains pounded Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, forcing its Baiyun airport, one of the world's busiest, to cancel 363 flights and delay 311. The day before, the skies above Hong Kong and the high-tech cities of China's Pearl River Delta turned livid and dumped the heaviest August rainfall since 1884 on the Asian financial centre. Rescue crews in Guangdong scrambled to open drains and pump water away from urban areas, state media said, as the intense rain set off mudslides and felled trees on highways, tearing away road surfaces to expose cabling and other infrastructure. Video images showed roads transformed into brown waterways, threatening to worsen a major outbreak of Chikungunya, fuelled by mosquitoes thriving in stagnant flood water, which had been on a downtrend before the latest rains. Guangdong had reported more than 7,000 of the virus infections earlier. China has suffered weeks of atmospheric chaos since July as it is battered by downpours heavier than usual batter with the East Asian monsoon stalling over its north and south. Weather experts link the shifting pattern to climate change, testing officials as flash floods displace thousands and threaten billions of dollars in economic losses. On Tuesday, Beijing allocated more than 1 billion yuan ($139 million) in disaster relief for Guangdong and the northern province of Hebei, as well as the capital, Beijing, and the northern region of Inner Mongolia, state news agency Xinhua said, including subsidies for damage to grain-growing areas. Extreme rainfall swept at least five people to their deaths in Guangdong over the weekend, triggering a large-scale search effort by more than 1,300 rescuers. Sixteen rivers across Guangdong threaten to breach their banks, with water levels at two sites reaching their highest since 2017 and 2018. The worst may be yet to come, with two to three typhoons expected to strike in August, emergency management authorities said on Tuesday. The city of Foshan west of Guangzhou has been the epicentre of the province's Chikungunya outbreak, while at least a dozen more have reported infections, which typically cause fever and severe joint pain, though deaths are rare. The next few weeks are especially daunting for disease prevention and control, say provincial authorities, after the flood season, worsened by typhoons and heavy rain, boosted mosquito activity. Spread by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, global infections of the disease number at least 240,000 this year. In a travel notice, opens new tab for Guangdong, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has urged "enhanced" precautions by visitors. ($1=7.1834 yuan)
Bangkok Post
31-07-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
China's Shenzhen, Guangzhou airports hit record highs - surpass pre-Covid passenger levels
Passenger traffic at airports across China's Greater Bay Area continued to rise in the first half of 2025, with Guangzhou and Shenzhen leading the region's aviation rebound. Guangzhou's Baiyun Airport handled 40.04 million passengers during the period, up 9.2% year on year, while Shenzhen's Baoan Airport served 32.55 million - a 10.8% increase, according to figures released by the two airports. Both have now surpassed their pre-pandemic highs. International traffic at both airports also surged, partly due to China's expanded visa-free entry policy. Baiyun logged over 8.18 million inbound and outbound passengers - up 22.9% year on year - while Baoan saw more than 3.05 million, a 30.7% increase from a year earlier. In contrast, Hong Kong International Airport reported that it handled 29.4 million passengers in the first half of 2025, a 16.5% year-on-year increase - but still short of the 37.8 million recorded during the same period in 2019. Analysts said the performance of the Greater Bay Area's airport cluster was driven by the region's economic dynamism and improved connectivity. "The rapid growth in passenger volumes at Guangzhou and Shenzhen reflects the vibrant business activity in the cities as well as strong demand from mainland tourists to the areas," said David Wong, a lecturer at Hang Seng University in Hong Kong, who has researched the link between air transport and regional development. "Meanwhile, Hong Kong airport's competitiveness in attracting both international and mainland passengers has weakened compared to previous years, with its market share in the GBA aviation sector under pressure." Still, the city retained its edge as an international aviation hub. It remained the world's busiest cargo airport in 2024, handling 4.3 million tonnes, according to Airports Council International - a title it has held for fourteen consecutive years. It was also ranked in the top 10 globally for international passenger traffic - the only airport in the Greater Bay Area to make the list. But compared to earlier targets, the pace of growth for major regional airports continues to fall short of expectations. In 2018, for instance, Guangzhou's airport aimed to surpass 100 million annual passengers by 2025 - a target that now looks increasingly out of reach. Meanwhile, although Guangzhou and Hong Kong airports were designed to accommodate a combined total of 120 million passengers annually, both continue to operate below capacity. Looking ahead, growth across the cluster could face headwinds. Wong cautioned that rising geopolitical uncertainties - particularly the China-US trade war - have slowed the flow of foreign capital and international talent, posing challenges to the Greater Bay Area's ambition to become a world-class international aviation hub.
