Biggest Flood Control Project Ready for Huaihe River

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, December 03, 2001

Biggest Flood Control Project Ready for Huaihe River

Largest flood control project starts

The largest flood control project for the Huaihe River, one of the most flood-prone rivers in China's history, started construction Sunday in Huoqiu County, Anhui Province in east China.

The Linhuaigang Project, one of 19 key parts of the Huaihe River management blueprint, is of vital importance to the river's flood prevention and has been listed as one of the major projects in the national economic and social development plan.

Project to contribute greatly to flood control

The project will contribute greatly to flood control on the middle reaches of the Huaihe, and the planned reservoir will enable the region to withstand extremely heavy flooding, sources said.

The project is designed to help protect 733,000 hectares of farmland and seven million local residents from the threat of floods in this region that is a key grain and energy production base of the country.

With a total investment of 2.27 billion yuan (273 million US dollars), the main part of the project will be completed in five years.

China Fighting Against Flood

Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji has called for increased efforts in flood control many times in recent years.

Saying he was "very concerned" about the flood-control situation, the premier said three points need to be emphasized to overcome floods this year: conducting a sound analysis of the flood-control situation, drafting thorough plans and making good preparations for flood-prevention, and ensuring the quality of water control projects.

The flood-control materials and rescue teams should be made available for timely flood relief, and dikes should be watched around the clock to detect danger as early as possible.

Also, flood-relief efforts need to be intensified in flood-hit areas, and all local governments and all departments should make concerted efforts to fight floods.

Huaihe River

The Huaihe River runs through Henan Province in central China and Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces in east China. More than 100 million people live in these provinces which are major grain producer centers of the country.

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