Houses and shops have been flooded in the city of Chongqing in southwest China, forcing thousands to evacuate.

People in Shizhu County woke up to heavy downpours and floods on Sunday.

Water levels rose to one meter and gradually went down after about an hour. Local officials quickly cordoned off the affected regions.

Roads are covered in thick mud. Shops and houses at low-lying areas are badly damaged.

"Hardware and iron are stored in this warehouse. They worth over 200,000 yuan. Almost one-third of the goods are inundated,"said Liu Peng, a local resident in Shizhu.

Most of Liu's household appliances were immersed in water.

He says the pitter-patter woke him up in the middle of the night.

"It rained the whole night. We got up at around 3 o'clock in the morning, only to find that the bridge was almost submerged and my house flooded. Nothing inside could be moved out," said Liu.

Heavy rains started on Thursday, causing floods and mudslides. More than 230,000 hectares of farmland have been damaged.

"The rise in water levels was not much in previous years. But this year, the water level has risen to over three meters. I only saw something like this during the severe floods of 1998," said Qiu Shizhong, a resident in Wuxi County.

More than 30,000  people have been affected in Chongqing municipality, including over 7,000 who were relocated.

"In parts of the region, secondary disasters such as mountain torrents and geological events are still happening. We have intensified supervision and enhanced early warning systems. We also pay special attention to three groups of people – the elderly with no family, children who've been left behind and the disabled. We will relocate those affected by the floods as soon as possible and make sure they have the basic living necessities," said Cheng Jiaying, director at Chongqing Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.