Central and southern China were on high alert for more flash floods on Friday as the annual East Asia monsoon gathered pace and extreme rainfall threatened disruption in the world’s second-largest economy.

Red alerts, the first for this year, were issued late on Thursday covering the provinces of Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, and Guangxi region, state news agency Xinhua reported, citing the water resources ministry and national weather forecaster, Reuters reported.

Extreme rainfall and severe flooding, which meteorologists link to climate change, increasingly pose major challenges for policymakers as they threaten to overwhelm ageing flood defences, displace millions, and wreak havoc on China’s $2.8 trillion agricultural sector.

China’s rainy season, which arrived earlier than usual this year in early June, is usually followed by intense heat that scorches any crops that survive waterlogged soil, depletes reservoirs, and warps roads and other infrastructure.

Economic losses from natural disasters exceeded $10 billion last July, when the rainfall typically peaks.

Damage was triple that amount in 2020 when China endured one of its longest rainy seasons in decades, lashed by rain for more than 60 days, or about three weeks longer than usual.

On Thursday, heavy rain in southern Hunan triggered the largest floods since 1998 in the upper and lower reaches of the Lishui River after its water levels breached the safety mark by more than two metres.

Videos uploaded to Douyin, as TikTok is known in China, show the river spilling onto main roads and carrying debris downstream.

In the hilly metropolis of southwestern Chongqing, apartment blocks were submerged in muddy waters and some vehicles were swept away as floods gushed down streets, according to state media on Thursday. In some cases, the waters almost reached the top of power lines.

Nearly 300 people were evacuated from towns and villages in a mountainous county in Chongqing, where cumulative daily rainfall had reached 304 mm (12 inches), with at least one local river swelling by 19 metres due to converging precipitation from the mountains, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

On Wednesday, power supply was disrupted in the city of Zhaoqing in southern Guangdong province as flood waters rose more than five metres above warning levels, breaking historical records, local media reported.

As climate change continues to fuel environmental crises across the globe, experts are warning of another growing consequence: its deepening toll on human mental health.

Afghanistan, which is ranked among the six most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, remains ill-equipped to combat the escalating impacts of environmental degradation.

Environmental specialists say that the rising frequency of floods, droughts, and erratic weather patterns is not only damaging livelihoods and infrastructure but also placing immense emotional and psychological stress on communities.

The effects are particularly severe in rural and impoverished regions, where people are already struggling with economic uncertainty and social instability.

“Climate change is no longer just an environmental issue—it’s a human health crisis, especially for countries like Afghanistan that are on the frontlines,” said one environmental health expert.

“The constant exposure to climate-related disasters, coupled with displacement and poverty, is leading to increased cases of anxiety, depression, and trauma.”

Afghanistan’s limited healthcare system—already under strain due to years of conflict and underinvestment—lacks the capacity to address the growing mental health needs brought on by environmental distress. Youth and marginalized populations, in particular, are bearing the brunt of this silent crisis.

Officials from the Islamic Emirate have acknowledged the escalating challenges and are urging the international community to depoliticize climate assistance.

They argue that Afghanistan needs renewed global support to resume stalled climate adaptation and development projects that were suspended after the 2021 political transition.

“Afghanistan did not create this crisis, yet we face its harshest consequences,” said a government spokesperson.

“The world must separate climate action from politics and help us build resilience—both environmentally and psychologically.”

Despite ongoing efforts to revive global climate initiatives in Afghanistan, political hurdles remain a major barrier.

Experts warn that unless urgent steps are taken, the mental health fallout of climate change could deepen the country’s humanitarian crisis, pushing already vulnerable communities further into distress.

Matiul Haq Khalis, General Director of Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency, has called on Azerbaijan to support Afghanistan’s participation in the upcoming international climate change conference scheduled to be held in Brazil this November.

Khalis met with Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, on the sidelines of the 11th Nevsky International Environmental Congress in St. Petersburg. During the meeting, Khalis emphasized the importance of Afghanistan’s involvement in global climate dialogue and requested Azerbaijan’s backing to ensure the country’s representation in the Brazil summit.

Minister Babayev expressed Azerbaijan’s full support, pledging to cooperate with Afghanistan on its participation in international environmental events. He also affirmed readiness for future collaboration through the signing of memorandums of understanding and the development of capacity-building initiatives aimed at strengthening Afghanistan’s environmental sector.

The Afghan delegation’s presence at the recent climate conference hosted by Azerbaijan was also noted as a positive step in deepening bilateral environmental cooperation.

The Nevsky International Environmental Congress, now in its 11th session, brings together representatives from governments, international organizations, environmental experts, activists, and academic institutions. The forum serves as a platform to discuss pressing environmental issues, share best practices, and explore global strategies to address the escalating challenges of climate change.