|
Flood death toll rises to 30 in central China, another flood peak to
come
HEFEI—Disaster relief
authority in east China’s Anhui Province announced Sunday that floods
have killed 30 people and affected more than 15 million residents in 15
cities of the province.
Consistent rainfalls started to pour down Saturday in the southwestern
Anhui and northern part of the Huaihe river, with precipitation in 30
townships exceeding 100 millimeters. By 8:00 a.m. Sunday, 60,000 houses
have collapsed, and 585,000 people have been forced to relocate. A total
of 300,000 people are suffering from drinking water shortage. Total
economic losses have reached 9.17 billion yuan (about 120 million U.S.
dollars), latest statistics from the provincial disaster relief show.
The provincial civil affairs department has allocated 5.3 million yuan
for the disaster relief work. By Thursday, 44 million yuan allocated by
the central government has been sent to the flood-battered areas.
Sources with the Huaihe Water Resources Committee said water level at
Wangjiaba, a crucial hydrological station along Huaihe, has been pushed
up by fierce downpours in the upper reaches of the river to 28.21 meters
by 10:00 a.m. Sunday.
When the last flood peak arrived, eight buffer zones along the Huaihe
River were commandeered, including the Mengwa flood reserve near Fuyang
in the eastern province of Anhui. The water discharge led to the
evacuation of about 157,800 residents.
The committee said the third flood peak is likely to pass Wangjiaba late
Monday, and they may have to discharge water from the station to Mengwa
again if the water level reaches warning marks. Nine flood reserve areas
along the Huaihe River, with eight in Anhui, have been commandeered to
combat the coming flood peak. The Luohewa flood reserve area in Huainan
City of Anhui was put to use for the first time of the year at 4:00 p.m.
Sunday.
On Friday, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited troops and residents
fighting the floods in Anhui. He promised that evacuees will get maximum
compensation allowed by rules from the government. By Friday, a total of
403 Chinese had been killed as a result of flooding, 105 were missing
and 3.17 million people had been relocated as the rains coupled with
ferocious flood waters continues to batter central and southern China.—Xinhua |
