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dam-l Three die in Hunan flood devastation
(South China Morning Post, Thursday May 20 1999 )
Three die in Hunan flood devastation
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Three people have been killed and thousands of homes
destroyed by floodwaters in central areas, heightening
fears of a repeat of last year's flooding that left
thousands dead along the Yangtze River.
In Hunan province, where the deaths were reported,
17,300 houses across dozens of counties and in the
capital Changsha were severely damaged and 200,000
hectares of crops hit by torrential rains, Xinhua
said yesterday.
Up to 200mm of rain had fallen over the previous four
days and communications were cut off in some areas.
Hunan's annual flood season was declared on Monday.
Other provinces bordering the Yellow River were put on
high alert. In Shandong province, 450,000 civilians
have been primed for anti-flood work while officials
began reinforcing dykes and dams.
Vice-Premier Wen Jiabao , on an inspection tour in the
region, warned the "possibility of severe flooding has
been increasing" and urged the army and local people
to make "full preparations" to cope.
While the Yellow River has not seen heavy flooding in
decades, meteorologists have warned heavy rainfall may
hit the river basin this year. The rain may also
affect water levels on the Huaihe River, which runs
through Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong and Henan provinces.
"Mayors and magistrates in the provinces have been
required to take full responsibility for any breaches
in the river banks," Xinhua said.
The central Government has, in part, blamed corrupt
local officials for the devastating impact of last
summer's Yangtze River flooding, which killed 4,150
people and led to the evacuation of 13.8 million.
The 60-day floods, which ripped through 29 provinces
bordering major rivers, caused direct economic losses
of 255 billion yuan (HK$237 billion).
Reports this year said the populations of entire
villages remained camped in makeshift shelters along
rivers, exposing millions to outbreaks of typhoid and
hepatitis A during the spring thaw.
Official media said last month that flooding along the
Yangtze would probably be worse this year. Officials
from the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee have
urged regional leaders to boost preparations.
The Government has allocated huge sums for flood
control projects this year, including 44 million yuan
to repair secondary dykes around Jiujiang, Jiangxi
province, which suffered badly last year.
In 1998, the state spent 8.9 billion yuan on control
work, after floods swept over vast areas of central
and northern regions. But local officials were accused
of siphoning off some of the money.
The annual flooding claimed its first victims in April
when a severe flood hit a northwest area of Hunan,
while submerging 66,000 hectares of farmland.