1.27 mln evacuated due to S. China rain

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Source: CCTV.com | 06-16-2008 13:27

The floods triggered by heavy rainstorms have forced the authorities to evacuate 1.27 million people in eight provinces and an autonomous region of south China. The situation in Hunan province's Xiangjiang River and the Xijiang River in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region appears the most serious as the water level of the two rivers far exceeds the alarm level.

A man ride a motorcycle in the flooded street in Changzhou Town, Wuzhou City, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, June 15, 2008.(Xinhua Photo)

The biggest flood peak of the Xiangjiang River this year passed through the city of Hengyang, in the middle reaches of the river on Sunday. The highest water level reached 57.7 meters at Hengyang's hydrological station. That is 1.2 meters above the alarm level.

Gan Minghui, General Engineer of Water Resources Department of Hunan said "The flood peak is moving to the lower reaches rapidly. And the water level there will also be pushed higher than the alarm level. There is likely to be a number of dangerous situations along the embankments. Intensified checks and preventive measures must be undertaken to cope with the pressure."

Floods hit other areas that the Xiangjiang River flood peak has already passed. In Daoxian County in the city of Zhuzhou, two thirds of the streets have been flooded. Most of the one-story buildings in low-altitude areas are submerged. The county government is organizing a massive evacuation.

Tang Xianglin, County Magistrate of Daoxian County Gov't of Hunan said "We plan to evacuate more than 130,000 people. We've already evacuated more than 70,000 people from the urban area."

In the city of Yongzhou, flooding occurred in all 11 counties and districts of the city, leading to the collapse of 15,000 homes.

The State Flood Prevention and Drought Relief Headquarters says there have been floods along 3 of the Pearl River's main tributaries. They are the Xijiang River, the Beijiang River and the Dongjiang River. The biggest flood peak of the Xijiang River since 2005 occurred in Wuzhou city of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Sunday. The highest water level was recorded at 24.84 meters, over 6 meters above the alarm level. And the torrent flowed at a rate of 46-thousand cubic meters per hour. More than 30,000 residents in vulnerable areas have been evacuated.

The worst floods in 50 years hit Zhongdu Township of Luzhai County in Guangxi. 4 highways linking the town with the outside world have all been closed. In the famous tourist destination of Yangshuo, a dozen of streets are flooded. And there have been disruptions to transportation and power supplies.

Guangdong is on full alert as floods in the swollen rivers of Xijiang and Beijiang are expected to converge in Foshan City later on Monday.

The Guangdong maritime bureau closed the navigation routes in the Zhaoqing section of Xijiang and the Qingyuan section of Beijiang on Sunday.

In Jiangxi, days of heavy rainfall have triggered landslides and other geological disasters in Ganzhou and Shangrao. Many roads in mountainous areas were damaged. More than 3.8 million people across the province have been affected.

The National Meteorological Center forecasts more rain in southern parts of the country over the next few days.

Editor:Xiong Qu