This year's flood season in China has thus far claimed 1,532 lives
across the country, according to statistics provided by the Chinese
Ministry of Civil Affairs on Wednesday.
As
of September 2002, floods and water logging have victimized a total
of 190 million people to varying extent, destroyed 1.053 million
homes, damaged 2.695 million room houses, affected 13.15 million
hectares of cropland and inflicted damage on a large number of
infrastructure facilities.
Local governments at various levels have displaced 2.445 million
people as an emergency measure to safer and more secured
places.
Most of the damage was brought on by exceptionally heavy rains
which resulted in torrential floods, landslides and mud-rock
flows.
Despite serious flooding in some regions and the fact that the
water levels of some sections of the Yangtze River have risen above
the warning level, the country's six major rivers, including the
Yellow River, remain stable, the ministry source said.
Four-billion-yuan gov't funds
China's central government has thus far disbursed 4.1 billion yuan
(aboutUS$ 494 million) in relief funds as well as over 16,000 tents
to areas affected by flooding since June.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Affairs has responded by
dispatching more than 20 teams of officials and experts to
inspectthe flood situation in 13 provinces and autonomous
regions.
The ministry has coordinated with other central government
ministries in its relief efforts and has received donations from
both home and abroad, including 18.93 million yuan (about US$2.28
million) in cash and 7.84 million yuan (about US$ 944,500) worth of
goods collected by the Red
Cross Society of China and the China
Charity Society.
Over the past months, soldiers, police officers and militiamen have
been working side by side with local residents to combat the
devastating floods in the affected areas. Thanks to their joint
efforts, losses have greatly reduced, the ministry said.
( September 5, 2002)