BEIJING, Jul 13 (APP): A total of 433 rivers in China have exceeded alerting levels since early June, with 33 of them rising to historical highs, said Ye Jianchun, Chinese vice minister of water resources at a press conference here on Monday.
China is entering the key period of flood prevention, said Ye Jianchun, warning the situation in the Yangtze River and Taihu Lake are still severe.
So far, floods have affected 37.89 million people in 27 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. 141 people are dead or missing, and 28,000 houses have collapsed, according to Zheng Guoguang, vice minister of emergency management.
The Chinese water resources ministry has dispatched 47,000 people for flood prevention, rescue and relief work. 76,000 people have been rescued or evacuated, said Zheng.
Since June, 141 people have died or are missing, 37.89 million have been affected and over 2,246,00 relocated due to floods in 27 provincial-level regions in China, including eastern Anhui and Jiangxi provinces.
According to the Water resources ministry, the water levels of 433 rivers in China have crossed the danger mark since early June, with 33 of them rising to historical highs.
China’s State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters upgraded the emergency response for flood control from level III to level II on Sunday, as incessant downpours continued to wreak havoc across vast stretches of the country.
Meanwhile, China’s national observatory renewed its yellow alert, its third-highest, for rainstorms. The downpour is forecast to continue in large parts of eastern and central regions in China.
Emergency response for flood control was upgraded from Level III to Level II in Central Hubei province on Thursday. At least 14 people are dead and five others are missing due to flooding. Over nine million people have been affected by the heavy rains.
Among the victims, eight have been confirmed dead in a landslide caused by heavy rainfall in Huangmei County.
Local authorities launched its Level II emergency response, its second-highest, for flood prevention in Eastern Anhui province on Tuesday. Four people died and over 2.15 million people have been affected as of Sunday noon.
Eastern Jiangxi Province upgraded its emergency response for flood control from the second to the top level as of 10 a.m. on Saturday. The water level of Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater lake, on Sunday hit record-high.
Eastern Zhejiang Province raised its flooding emergency response to the top level along the Qiantang River.
