Heavy rains from Typhoon Maysak have ignited intense scrutiny over the safety and maintenance of the area’s aging infrastructure built during the Great Leap Forward era.

By Probe International

July 9, 2026: Update on Guangxi Flooding

The heavy rains from Typhoon Maysak that triggered severe flooding across Guangxi in southern China over the weekend, have raised serious questions about the structural integrity of the region’s aging water infrastructure after multiple reservoir failures.

The flooding, driven by exceptionally heavy and persistent rainfall rarely seen in the region’s history, has affected counties and districts across all 14 prefecture-level cities, with 39 confirmed dead (including 26 linked to the Liulan Reservoir breach in Hengzhou, Nanning), and 9 still missing. Over 130,000 people have been urgently evacuated, and approximately 12,900 hectares of crops have been damaged, with broader economic losses still under assessment.

While extreme weather played a major role, the crisis has spotlighted recurring vulnerabilities in Guangxi’s water infrastructure. On July 6, several reservoirs on tributaries of the Yu River in Nanning suffered dangerous incidents, including breaches and overtopping. These failures compounded flood peaks through sudden releases, devastating downstream towns and villages. 

The most prominent case is the Liulan Reservoir in Hengzhou (a medium-sized facility recently upgraded). Authorities had claimed it could withstand flood-season rains, yet on July 6, two sections of the dam breached, creating a nearly 50-meter-wide gap. This sent torrents of water downstream, threatening more than 170,000 people and contributing heavily to the casualty count. Other affected sites included the Yunbiao, Sancha, and Chayuan reservoirs in Hengzhou, plus the Liuwang Reservoir in Binyang, which experienced overtopping and related emergencies.

According to longtime China monitor and hydrologist Fan Xiao, the incidents cannot be attributed solely to extreme weather. Posting to social media* in the wake of the flooding, Fan said the problems that had been exposed recurred almost every year during major floods. Fan pointed to the “unresolved hazards” of “numerous aging and unsafe” reservoirs built during the Great Leap Forward of the 1950s and 1960s under a “design while building, build while designing” approach.

Many of these reservoirs, wrote Fan, continue operating despite known structural deficiencies. He highlighted the threat posed by inadequate flood preparation, such as failure to lower reservoir water levels to designated flood-season limits ahead of the rainy season, and reducing storage capacity for flood control. Fan also called out the poor emergency response, including a lack of timely warnings and organized evacuations that had left downstream communities unprepared for sudden inundation.

The rapid failure of the “recently upgraded” Liulan Reservoir—just one year after claimed improvements—has intensified public debate and scrutiny over maintenance, oversight, and the reliability of these critical structures.

National authorities have declared the highest-level flood emergency response, with President Xi Jinping urging all-out relief efforts. 

Rescue operations continue, involving military teams, drones, and other resources, while floodwaters have receded in some areas (revealing thick mud and widespread damage). The cluster of reservoir emergencies has renewed calls to address long-standing hazards in China’s older dam infrastructure amid increasingly extreme weather. Recovery and assessments are ongoing.

• Fan Xiao’s private social media account cannot be shared due to concerns around safety.

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