How deadly floods in western China could threaten new Silk Road

Summer rains in western China have nearly doubled in the past 50 years because of climate change, posing an unexpected threat to Belt and Road Initiative projects in Xinjiang and central Asia, according to a new study.

The risks of flooding in one of the driest regions on Earth meant quality standards and design of infrastructure should be “updated to include a thought for water, lots of water”, warned the lead scientist of a study published on Monday by Chinese journal Scientia Sinica Terrae. The research team also called for more weather monitoring stations to improve the accuracy of forecasts in the remote region.