Continuous torrential rains have caused more than half of the
large- and medium-sized reservoirs to overflow in east China's Shandong Province, local authorities said on
Sunday.
The province saw an average rainfall of 532 mm during this
year's flood season, or 17 percent higher than normal, according to
the Shandong provincial hydrology and water resources bureau.
As of 6:00 AM on Sunday, the province's 39 large- and
medium-sized reservoirs had stored close to 4.2 billion cubic
meters of water, or about 1.4 billion cubic meters more than that
for the same period in previous years, and 24 of the reservoirs
have overflowed, a bureau spokesman said, providing no details
about whether residents would be affected or not.
Heavy rains have also made the rivers swollen in Shandong and
damaged levees and bridges, the spokesman said.
China has suffered from abnormal and extreme weather which led
to fatal floods, landslides and lingering drought in a number of
provinces this year. The disasters left 1,279 people dead and 239
others missing in the first seven months, the Ministry of Civil
Affairs has said.
(Xinhua News Agency August 13, 2007)
