Officials have issued a warning that flood waters may damage the
dykes on the Yellow River's lower reaches and have advised local
flood control departments to strengthen measures to protect the
dykes.
Yao Guangwen, an official with State Flood Control and Drought
Relief Headquarters, told China Daily that flood waters that built
up in the tributaries in the river's middle reaches because of
continuous rain, have now entered the river's main stream.
"The dykes along the river's lower reaches, most of which are
made of earth, may be endangered,'' said Yao.
Among the tributaries flowing into the Yellow River's middle
reaches, the Weihe River, mainly in Northwest China's Shaanxi
Province, has experienced the heaviest flooding since 1981.
The province has been hit by continuous heavy rain since August
25, but fortunately the water level in the Weihe River has started
to drop slowly, he said.
The flooding and landslides caused by the heavy rain have forced
10 rail lines linking Urumqi, Chongqing and Guiyang in northwest
and southwest China and others cities in the province to stop
operation, according to sources in the Xi'an Railways Bureau.
The Xi'an-Ankang railway, which links Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi,
and Ankang, a city in southern Shaanxi, was cut by a landslide
early Thursday morning, leaving about 6,000 passengers stranded in
the Xi'an station.
According to the Ankang railways authorities, it was expected
that the Xi'an-Ankang railway would go back into operation early
today after more than 50 hours' rescue efforts involving more than
600 rail workers.
And rescue work on other links was still going on by last
night.
Up to today, 19 major roads have also been cut by the flooding
and landslides and three highways are currently threatened by flood
waters, according to the provincial road administration.
Shaanxi, has been suffering from flooding and landslides caused
by continuous heavy rain since August 24 and the latest statistics
showed that all of its 67 counties and districts, with a population
of 4.93 million people, have been hit by the disaster, which has
resulted in a total direct economic loss of 4 billion yuan (US$481
million).
(China Daily September 6, 2003)
