China strengthens flood relief in Haihe River Basin

BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- In response to the worst flooding in the Haihe River Basin since 1963, Chinese authorities are pumping recovery funds into the area, and, with the floodwaters receding after the July 28 to August 1 deluge, residents are beginning to return home.

Some 22 rivers in the basin experienced above-warning level flooding, and eight rivers reported the largest floods ever recorded, the Ministry of Water Resources said Monday.

China's water conservancy system has left no stone unturned in the management of flood prevention and control. Relevant provincial and municipal water conservancy departments have issued 341 million disaster warnings for mountain torrents, according to Vice Minister of Water Resources Liu Weiping.

To minimize the impact and damage wrecked by flooding, the ministry has sent 26 work teams and expert groups to lead flood prevention and risk management at the grassroots. The water conservancy system has mobilized 84 large- and medium-sized reservoirs and eight flood storage and retention zones for flood prevention and control.

At present, the water level in active flood storage and retention areas within the basin are gradually retreating and residents are gradually returning home.

China allocated an additional 500 million yuan (about 69.4 million U.S. dollars) on Aug. 19, on top of the 1 billion yuan announced on Aug. 9, to help people return to life and work in affected areas.

Noting that the flood season is still ongoing, with severe and complicated floods and droughts still expected, Liu said the ministry will continue to strengthen all prevention measures and spare no effort across the board.