China has managed to control the first of this summer's heavy floods on one of the major river valleys and also one of the most populated areas in the country, the State Flood and Drought Control Headquarters said Tuesday.

The waters of the Huaihe River, mostly flowing through east China, had all subsided below the danger level by Tuesday morning, and the nine flooding areas along the river that had been used to divert floods had been closed.

Most sections of the Huaihe River saw water levels at record highs, but losses remained dramatically lower than in 1991 when the valley was last hit by severe floods, according to officials.

The Huaihe, one of China's major rivers, flows eastward and empties into the Yellow Sea after traversing the country's most populous regions. A total of 165 million people are living in its vast valley.

Wang Shucheng, minister of water resources and also deputy commander-in-chief of the State Flood and Drought Control Headquarters, said that effective management by the government and scientific flood-control measures had played a decisive role in efforts to combat flooding on the Huaihe River this summer.

A total of 17 water diversion areas on the Huaihe River were used in the 1991 deluge, but only nine such areas were employed in the face of bigger floods this year.

This indicated less farmland inundated and less population relocated and left homeless, said Jing Zhengshu, vice minister of water resources.

"In the past years TV showed hundreds of thousands of people rushed to defend the embankments, but fewer such scenes were seen at the Huaihe River this year," Wang said. "Because this time we counted on scientific and reasonable maneuvering (of manpower and resources), and so effectively controlled the floods no matter how severe they were."

"A reliance on scientific measures helped change the way we dealt with floods, turning the stress on 'fighting' floods into the harmonious coexistence between people and floods. This change will guide China's flood control efforts in the future," the minister said.

Scientific flood control requires improved infrastructure. Since the severe flooding on the Huaihe River in 1991, the government has stepped up efforts to harness the river. It has invested a total of 10 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) to build a host of anti-flood projects along the river, which have proven effective during the floods this summer.

In addition to reinforced dykes and embankments, reservoirs on the river stored much of the floodwater, holding back crests that might cause a huge wave.

The government financed the building of a new waterway at the middle reaches of the Huaihe to divert floodwater, as well as a man-made canal to connect the Huaihe River to the Yellow Sea.

The government also contributed to the successful control of the floods by compensating people who had sacrificed the homes and property in diversion areas, Wang said.

A huge number of native residents left their homes, carrying their children and valuables, while most of appeared calm and quiet.

Although it was hard for them to abandon their homes, they understood what they had done was for the benefit of the whole situation, and they knew they would be compensated by the government.

According to the regulations on compensation incurred in use of flood diversion areas, people who were displaced due to being evacuated from flood diversion areas will be properly compensated after loss verification.

In flood emergencies this summer, civil affairs, health and finance authorities reacted in a quick and responsive manner, and guaranteed flood-affected people food and clothes, shelter and protection from disease.

Premier Wen Jiabao, who had just returned from the forefront of the flooding, was much impressed by the flood control efforts he had seen, saying the work was "scientific, arduous and orderly."

Analysts say the heavy floods on the Huaihe River are seen as another big challenge facing the new Chinese leadership inaugurated last March after the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome this spring.

(Xinhua News Agency July 15, 2003)