China Focus: Seawater intrusion incurs waterlogging on China's northern coasts

SHENYANG, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- High tides have poured seawater onto the land in coastal cities in northeast and north China's Liaoning and Hebei provinces and Tianjin Municipality from Monday, submerging streets and triggering waterlogging.

In Liaoning, the cities of Dalian, Yingkou, Panjin, Jinzhou and Huludao have suffered urban waterlogging, after the high tide.

"I've lived in the neighborhood for more than 40 years, and I've never seen such a severe tidal upsurge," said Zhang Xinghua, a fisherman at the Erjiegou neighborhood of Panjin.

Zhang said the neighborhood is located in a low-lying area prone to attacks by tidal waves, especially when nearing winter, but this time the tides were "surprisingly large."

The city's fire department on Monday dispatched 25 fire trucks and 150 firefighters, who took rubber boats for the search and rescue of people trapped in the waterlogging. By Monday night, 72 people were rescued and more than 120 were evacuated.

As the tides ebbed Monday evening, seawater gradually retreated. Xinhua reporters saw water pumps still working round the clock on the streets in Panjin to drain water.

"We are still checking risks in low-lying areas. No casualties have been reported," said Liu Songlin of the sub-district office in Erjiegou.

Meanwhile, seawater poured into residential houses on Monday in Luannan County, Tangshan City, Hebei Province. Local residents said they have not seen such a large tide in around 30 years.

In the Binhai New Area of Tianjin Municipality, buses had to temporarily adjust regular routes to avoid the waterlogging area.

The Liaoning provincial marine monitoring and forecasting center issued a Level-IV sea tide warning at 4 p.m. Monday, saying affected by a cold spell and cyclone, large waves up to 2.5 to 3.5 meters high would appear in the northern part of the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea from Monday night to Tuesday.

Zhou Guanbo, a senior engineer at the China's National Meteorological Center, attributed the seawater intrusion in Panjin and other places to storm surge superimposed with astronomical tide. This natural phenomenon leads to abnormal rise in tide water.

He warned that seawater may affect drinking water safety, agricultural production and industrial production. ■