Weaknesses in monitoring, forecasting exposed during north China floods

THE worst flood to hit the Haihe River Basin in northern China since 1963 has exposed weaknesses in monitoring and forecasting capabilities for floods, China's Ministry of Water Resources (MWR) said earlier this week.

From July 28 to August 1, some 22 rivers in the basin experienced above-warning level flooding, and eight rivers reported the largest floods ever recorded, MWR officials told a news conference. The disaster has killed ast least 61 people, and millions more were affected.