(Yicai) Oct. 17 -- Many villages under the jurisdiction of Baise, a Chinese city in southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, have been trapped in floodwaters since late last month due to several typhoons and inadequate drainage systems.

Rainfall rates in Baise were more than five times higher as of Oct. 8 compared with the average in previous years, setting a record since records began, according to data from the local emergency management bureau. Some 168,000 people in the city have suffered from the disaster, with almost 10,000 evacuated.

Three typhoons have hit Baise between late last month and early this month, causing a sharp rise in river levels and severe urban and rural flooding. In some villages, the waterlogging is up to 20 meters deep.

Baise has a karst topography, so water in some disaster-stricken villages rose from caves and underground rivers due to the high water levels in surrounding areas, making it difficult to effectively lower water levels with pumps, a worker from the local emergency command center told Yicai, noting that villages can do nothing but wait for the flood to recede. Geological exploration experts are carrying on comprehensive investigations, the person pointed out.

The Dajin sub-village of Dajin village in the county-level city of Jingxi has been cut off from the outside world since Sept. 30, remaining submerged in floodwaters despite the sky clearing up, with only the rooftops of some tiled houses visible above the water. Most villagers have been evacuated, but more than 20 people are still there.

Baise is surrounded by mountains, making it a typical small basin city, said Gao Yuqin, a professor at Hohai University's College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering. Floodwaters from the upstream converge there, but the drainage capacity of its downstream river channels is limited, causing floods to linger and resulting in the prolonged waterlogging that has yet to be drained, Gao noted.

In addition, the drainage systems in Baise's rural areas are inadequate, Gao stressed, adding that when struck by floods far exceeding design standards, the existing field ditches and rivers fail to drain effectively, which may worsen the flood situation due to blockages and overflow.

Editor: Martin Kadiev