Heavy Rainstorms Cause Flooding On Yangtze River
Rainstorms that hit parts of the middle and lower reaches of China's Yangtze River have caused serious flooding in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Anhui provinces.
According to the Zhejiang Flood Control and Draught Relief Headquarters, local officials started floodwater-discharge measures July 1, diverting the water into a 4.7-sq.km. area in the city of Yuhang.
The 1,100 people living in the flood-diversion zone had already been moved to safer ground before the floodwater hit and no casualties have been reported.
Water levels at the Jiujiang Hydrology Station downstream at the city of Jiujiang in eastern Jiangxi have also risen above the danger mark. The city recorded 230 mm of precipitation in the past two days and floodwaters are flowing into nearby Poyang Lake at a rate of 13,860 cubic meters per second.
Two highways between Jiujiang and Wuning and Xiushui counties have been closed because of the rain and the province is intensifying its fight against the floodwaters. The rain, however, is unlikely to let up, according to meteorologists forecasts.
Floodwaters have caused more than 30 deaths and covered large tracts of farmland in the southern part of Anhui Province, causing an estimated 2.5 billion yuan in damage and affecting more than 5. 76 million people and about 400,000 million hectares of farmland.
The province's rainy season started a little earlier this year. Rainfalls in most places have exceeded 600 mm for the past days and nearly 1.5 million people are already involved in the fight against the rising waters. (Xinhua)
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