Flood-control inspectors have discovered hidden dangers along
the Yangtze River, raising concerns at a time when state
metrological authorities have warned of the possibility of major
floods hitting this summer.
During a recent inspection organized by the office of the State
Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, inspectors found
that the banks along some sections of the Jingjiang River, a
section of the Yangtze River, could be at risk of collapse, the
People's Daily reported yesterday.
The newspaper quoted Luo Huilin, deputy secretary-general of
Jingzhou's city government, as saying that collapses had been
occurring with increasing frequency along the Jingjiang River in
recent years.
The latest bank collapse happened in Shishou on March 22, when a
section measuring 30 m long and 8 m wide crumbled.
"Such a collapse would be disastrous if it happened during the
flood season," Luo said.
He called on local government bodies to reinforce the banks and
dredge the waterway before the flood season to make sure there were
no accidents.
Li Chunsheng, an official with the Hubei provincial office of flood control, said
some sections of the Yangtze River in the province had been
blanketed with silt or eroded since the great flood in 1998, which
caused more than 3,000 deaths.
Li said the provincial government had allocated 30 million yuan
(US$3.9 million) to prevent collapses, and that 21 vulnerable banks
would be reinforced before this summer.
According to the China meteorological administration, it is
likely that a big flood will hit the Yangtze River, the longest
river in China, this summer because of heavy rain and typhoons
along its middle and lower reaches.
As a result, efforts to repair damaged banks have been
accelerated in the whole Yangtze River valley.
So far, the authorities have reinforced 2,259 km of riverbanks,
dredged 5,093 km of river bed and improved 2,833 reservoirs.
Cai Qihua, vice-commander-in-chief of the Yangtze River Flood
Control Headquarters, said 10 provinces and municipalities along
the river had mapped out anti-flood plans and had signed
responsibility contracts with the headquarters.
In southwest China's Guizhou Province, the provincial government
will spend about 30 million yuan (US$3.9 million) this year to
repair 100 problematic reservoirs.
Statistics show that there are more than 85,000 reservoirs in
the country, of which 30,000 have serious problems, including 200
large and 1,600 medium-sized reservoirs.
Jiao Yong, vice-minister of water resources, earlier described
the problematic reservoirs as "time bombs" that were threatening
the lives and property of people living downstream.
(China Daily May 14, 2007)
