Reservoir breaches after extreme rainfall cause severe flooding in Nanning, China

Typhoon Maysak caused overtopping at three reservoirs and breaches at two of them in the Nanning region of Guangxi, China, on July 6, prompting authorities to raise the city’s flood-control emergency response to Level I at 11:30 LT (03:30 UTC). Level I is the highest tier in China’s flood-control emergency response system.

Nanning city government reported that the Liulan and Yunbiao reservoirs in Hengzhou, a county-level city under Nanning’s jurisdiction, both overtopped and breached, while Liuwang Reservoir in Binyang County overtopped.

Unofficial reports placed rainfall in Bafeng Village, Luxu Town, Binyang County, at 713.3 mm (28.1 inches) between 08:00 LT on July 5 and 08:00 LT on July 6. The reported total was described as the highest 24-hour rainfall accumulation recorded in Guangxi during the event.

The Nanning flood-control briefing reported approximately 55 000 people had been affected by flooding and about 48 000 evacuated from Nanning’s flood-control area.

At Liulan Reservoir, two sections of the dam failed at around 11:00 LT, creating a gap approximately 50 m (164 feet) wide and releasing a large volume of water downstream.

China Business Network reported that more than 300 people near the medium-sized Liulan Reservoir were evacuated to higher ground after serious cracks developed in the dam during the morning of July 6, following several days of thunderstorms that pushed water levels beyond the reservoir’s capacity.

Emergency management, water resources, fire and rescue, and other local departments were deployed across Hengzhou and Binyang County to control flooding and relocate residents from high-risk areas near reservoirs, rivers and low-lying communities.

Nanning’s emergency management committee said rainfall near Liuwang and Liulan reservoirs was expected to ease, potentially reducing pressure on the damaged and overtopped structures.

The events followed several days of heavy rainfall linked to Typhoon Maysak, described by Chinese media as the year’s tenth named storm. Maysak made landfall in Hainan on July 3 before weakening and moving through Guangxi toward Vietnam.

In Fangchenggang, farther southwest in Guangxi, overflowing rivers submerged vehicles up to their roofs. Residents cited by local media described the flooding as the worst in approximately two decades.

References:

¹ 广西南宁多个水库出现险情 当地正组织转移群众 – Xinhua – July 6, 2026

² 南宁：水库下游洪涝灾害已致约5.5万人受灾2人死亡 – Xinhua – July 6, 2026

³ 广西横州六蓝水库坝体现缺口，村民：水库连发4条紧急泄洪通知，洪水向下游倾泻，溃口约50米长 – The Paper – July 6, 2026

⁴ 台风环流北上 国家防总办公室持续调度 部署重点地区防汛防台风工作 – Ministry of Emergency Management – July 5, 2026

Teo Blašković

I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.

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