Rainstorms to lash flooded China provinces

China's Central Meteorological Station warned Sunday that rainstorms would again batter many provinces and regions in the coming days bringing with it bigger risks of new flooding and other geological disasters in central and eastern China.

From Monday until Wednesday, the observatory forecast some regions in provinces including Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei, and Anhui will see heavy rain.

Eastern Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, central Henan, Chongqing and Shanghai will also see rainstorms during the next three days.

A total of 14.92 million people in 10 provinces and regions along China's longest river, the Yangtze, have had their lives disrupted after torrential rains began pounding since July 8, a statement from the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters (SFDH) said Sunday.

Rain-triggered floods also brought damage to 806,000 hectares of farmland and destroyed 20,000 houses, with direct economic losses standing at 8.6 billion yuan (1.3 billion U.S. dollars), a statement from the flood control authority said.

Official figures showed during the 10 days ended on Saturday, at least 50 people were confirmed dead and 15 others were still missing in 9 provinces after heavy rains.

Rain-triggered floods have left 14 people dead and three others missing in Chongqing Municipality since Thursday, toppling more than 3,000 houses, partly cutting off power supply and causing the evacuation of 80,400 people, according to the local government.

The floods have affected the lives of more than 1.7 million people in 17 districts and counties there, incurring 1.34 billion yuan in direct economic losses, Chongqing's flood-control and drought-relief headquarters said.

In Hubei Province, 17 people were killed and three others missing amid downpours since July 3, which affected the lives of more than 5.63 million people in 75 counties across the province, Hubei's Civil Affairs Administration said Sunday.

More than 182,500 residents had been relocated after heavy rains damaged more than 71,000 houses, inundated 537,650 hectares of farmland, cutting off many road services and suspended power supply.

In Jiangxi Province, more than 34,000 people have been evacuated since July 5 when downpours began to hit 22 counties, pulling down more than 2,400 houses.

So far 620,000 people from five provinces in eastern and central China have been evacuated from flood-hit areas as soldiers from the People's Liberation Army and armed police forces mobilize to fight the floods.

Chen Lei, Minister of Water Resources, also SFDH vice director, said at a work meeting Sunday that local authorities should come up with detailed plans for flood control to minimize losses caused by the disaster.

A total of 8 work teams sent by SFDH are also helping with flood control work in provinces along the Yangtze and in northwest China's Qinghai Province, where thousands of people were evacuated Sunday from Golmud City as a risky reservoir nearby was on the verge of breaching after heavy rain.

But the water level of the reservoir has begun easing, the SFDH said, as temporary channels had been dug to divert water.

Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu urged at a work conference Saturday relevant departments to closely monitor the weather and issue alerts promptly, reinforce dams and dikes as well as resettle people affected by the floods.

Meteorological experts warned cities should be on alert against water logging while mountainous areas should be wary of mud flows and landslides triggered by heavy rains.

Source:Xinhua