Chinese vice premier urges all-out efforts in emergency response to floods, drought

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, arranges flood prevention and disaster relief work at the national command headquarters for emergencies on June 26, 2024. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing on Wednesday called for strenuous efforts in emergency response and disaster relief as floods and drought hit some parts of the country.

Zhang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that targeted and concrete measures should be taken for areas hit by heavy rainfalls to ensure the safety of people's lives and property and social stability.

With the main rain belt moving northward and heavy rains making continuous and disastrous impact in some areas in the south, Zhang said the country was facing an extremely complicated and severe flood control situation as he stressed multi-pronged measures to deal with the situation.

He called for efforts to strengthen organizational leadership and overall coordination as well as deploy emergency personnel and materials in advance in order to be fully prepared for rescue and disaster relief in the event of destructed roads, damaged networks and power cuts.

Monitoring, forecasting and early warning should be beefed up and efforts should be made to ensure emergency communications stay smooth, he said.

He stressed the timely evacuation of people to safety if they face any potential threat, and strengthened monitoring of disaster-prone spots such as homes built on slopes, river work sites, tourist attractions, and guest houses in mountainous areas.

Inspection efforts should also cover high-risk points such as dangerous reservoirs and tailings dams to eliminate risks and hidden dangers in advance, Zhang said.

He added water projects should also be utilized scientifically in order to let them play a better role in flood and drought response coordination.