Floods threaten areas along Yangtze

Shanghai (AsiaNews) - Flood-control efforts have been stepped up along the Yangtze River after torrential rains hit the region and meteorologists warned of more severe storms to come.

In Hubei province , flood preparation is under way although the level of the Yangtze River is now two metres below the danger level, according to the provincial flood-control centre.

"There should not be major problems this year because most dams and dykes along the Yangtze have been strengthened," said an official of the Hubei Flood Control and Drought Relief headquarters yesterday. "The provincial government implemented a vigilance-responsibility system - assigning officials to keep watch over individual flood-control facilities such as dams - and had been stocking up on supplies (rescue equipment and relief materials) since last month," he said.

The Hubei official said one main risk this summer was the large number of reservoirs in the province which did not meet required standards. "Hubei has more than 5,800 reservoirs. A large number of them are still not up to [national flood-control] standards," he said. "The government had accelerated repair work, although it might take another year to complete."

Earlier this month, Minister of Water Resources Wang Shucheng said more than 30,000 reservoirs on the mainland - 36 per cent of the total - had potential safety problems due to poor construction work or a lack of repairs over the years, and are not adequate.

Meanwhile, state media yesterday reported that at least five people had been killed by floods in Chongqing and Guizhou province this year.

The Changsha Evening News reported yesterday, that in Hunan province, 400,000 soldiers have been mobilised to prepare for the arrival of a flood peak as the water level of the Lishui River - a tributary of the Yangtze - rose 3.5 metres this week, approaching the danger level.

It was recorded that in the Yangtze River disastrous flood had happened once every 10 years. During the last one, in 1998, the flood inundated the farmland of 239,000 ha. affected 2.32 million people and had the victim of 1,526 persons.

• china
• floods
• environment
• disaster