Death Toll Rises as Deluge Continues along Huaihe River

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, July 11, 2003

Death Toll Rises as Deluge Continues along Huaihe River

Floods along the Huaihe River Valley have killed 16 people and caused direct economic losses of 18.17 billion yuan (US$2.19 billion),a report released Thursday said.

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Floods along the Huaihe River Valley have killed 16 people and caused direct economic losses of 18.17 billion yuan (US$2.19 billion),a report released Thursday said.

And with no sign of let-up in the torrential rain, tragedy struck in the southwest of the country with three workmen on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway confirmed dead and 13 missing following a mudslide.

The official disaster situation report issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs said that the 47.518 million inhabitants, mainly in Anhui, Jiangsu and Henan provinces through which the Huaihe River runs, had been hit by floods. Some 2.312 million have been trapped by flood waters, while around 843,000 people have been evacuated to safe areas, said the report.

In the worst-hit Anhui Province, relief fund of some 9.7 million yuan (about 1168,675 US dollars) has been allocated by the provincial government and relief aid including 585 tons of rice, 766 tons of flour, 3,607 tons of coal, 98,000 cartons of instant food and 55,500 boxes of drinking water have been doled out to flood victims.

Local governments at city and county levels have arranged a relief fund of 19.91 million yuan (about 2.4 million US dollars) and relief material worth 11.42 million yuan (about 1.38 million US dollars) to cope with the emergency situation.

In addition, donations including some 825,000 yuan (about 99,398 US dollars) in cash and materials worth 3.1 million yuan (about 373,494 US dollars) have been received from all walks of life.

Of the 575,000 Anhui inhabitants evacuated, 348,700 have taken refuge with their relatives and friends, 118,600 are living under makeshift cover, 76,500 have found accommodation in public housing, while the rest are staying in specially-erected tents.

More efforts ought to be made to avert major threats posed by weakened embankments along the mainstream of the Huaihe River, which have been severely tested following weeks of flooding, said Qiu Ruitian, vice-director of the Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

In the past two days, water levels at all major hydraulic stations along the mainstream of the Huaihe River have remained above the danger mark.

Parts of the embankment of the Huaihe River in Huoqiu County of Anhui are now at serious risk from the river's surging waters. The Huaihong artificial canal in the middle reaches of the Huaihe River and the 163.5 kilometre waterway from Hongze Lake to the Yellow Sea at the lower reaches have all been put into operation to divert the rising waters.

The measures have greatly eased the flood pressure, but with no let-up in the heavy rainfall, the water level of the Huaihe River is continuing to rise.

In Henan, 6.455 million yuan (about 777,711 US dollars) has been allocated by the province's three flood-hit cities of Zhoukou,Xinyang and Zhumadian, said the report.

To secure the basic living standards of flood victims, the ministry has sent several inspection squads to the disaster areas and transferred 9,000 tents to Anhui and 2,000 to Jiangsu.

The ministry also cooperated with the Ministry of Finance to allocate relief funds of 37 million yuan (about 4.46 million US dollars), 6 million yuan (722,892 US dollars) and 11 million yuan (about 1.33 million US dollars) to Anhui, Jiangsu and Henan respectively.

Zhang Zhitong, vice-director of the Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Thursday urged vigilance regarding the Yangtze.

He stressed that all relevant agencies spare no effort in ensuring reservoir safety.

China has 86,000 reservoirs, of which 30,413 are currently threatened, some 36 per cent of the total.

In another development, eighteen road workers, including five Tibetans were buried alive on Wednesday evening by mud-rock flows caused by landslides on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway. The road is one of the highest roads in China and serves as a communication link between Tibet and other parts of the country.

Two of the 18 workers were rescued,but three bodies were found by emergency teams Thursday morning.

The rescue work to find the others was still continuing at the time of going press.

Starting from June 20, continuous torrential rains have hit the Huaihe River Valley, making some areas' precipitation higher than 400 millimeters and the river's Anhui section subject to its fiercest flood attack since 1991.

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