Fierce rainstorms swept China this summer, triggering floods,
landslides and mud-rock flows, which many experts believe to be a
result of the global climate change.
Hundreds of people were killed. However, no casualties from the
Huaihe River floods -- the second largest since 1954 -- have been
reported yet, while in 1991, the tameless river in east China
claimed 572 lives.
Zhao Shouchuan, a 47-year-old farmer has kept the habit for
years -- sitting with his family around the wooden square table in
sweltering summer nights, drinking porridge with the green soy bean
and a fried fish while enjoying the cool breeze.
He felt assured despite the continuous rains, as he knew it well
that one kilometer away, a dyke was protecting the
1.26-square-kilometer Wangjiaba village against the swollen Huaihe
River.
But only four years ago when the Huaihe River swelled, his
five-member family squeezed in a tent, gulping instant noodles and
drinking bottled water for over 20 days.
Zhao is among the 20,000 people from the Mengwa sluice area
relocated to four dyke-protecting villages like Wangjiaba and 136
flood-avoiding platforms, which are tall stages in the floodwater
storage area and would turn to island in floods. In the entire
Anhui Province, a total of 150,000 people were relocated.
Although his 1.3-hectare crops were inundated, Zhao didn't feel
the least worried. "I could get compensation for that," he said,
adding that each April, they are asked to report what crops they
had and how many hectares, so that they could be compensated
accordingly in case of natural disasters.
"These projects help reducing the losses and impact of floods to
local people," said Hu Liansong, Party secretary of the Fuyang city
in the northwest of the Anhui Province, adding that these measures
go in accordance with the new political concept "people are the
most important" advocated by President Hu Jintao.
"The change of flood-control mindset is vital to protecting
people and their properties in combat against the flood," said Liu
Guoping, an official with the Huaihe River Water Resources
Commission.
Liu recalled that in the past, guiding principle of flood
control was defending the dams and television footage often showed
lines of soldiers and police shouting out slogans and piling
sandbags in attempt to stop the onrushing water.
Ding Yuanzhu, researcher with the National Development and
Reform Commission, sees the change of China's emergency-handling
system after so much bitter experience.
In a plan against emergency issued by the central government in
January 2006, people's lives and properties are listed as top
priority, instead of the dams and buildings.
The introduction of new technology also benefits a lot. Ding
recalled that in a flood that blitzed the Quxian County in
southwest China's Sichuan Province, local government sent mobile
phone messages to people and evacuated 115,000, avoiding more
causalities.
However, not everybody has such a fortune. The progress couldn't
cover the fact that some local governments have failed to do
efficient work in the rainstorms and floods.
The disasters have killed at least 71 in central China's Hubei
Province, 42 in the mountainous Chongqing Municipality, 54 in
Sichuan, 163 in Yunnan, 40 in Shandong and 38 in the far northwest
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
China's death toll from natural disasters stood at a staggering
715 with 129 people missing by July 16, according to the Ministry
of Civil Affairs.
Rainstorms have severely damaged Jinan and Chongqing, killing
dozens of people and injured hundreds in the metropolis. Local
media criticized that some government officials failed to give out
an emergency warning to the citizens.
Officials are also blamed to have merely focused on creating a
beautiful outlook for the cities, rather than improving the
practical functions of the urban area, such as upgrading the
drainage systems.
Environmental erosion, inadequate reservoirs repair and
corruption have all plagued China's disaster relief.
Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao had urged
local governments to try to improve weather monitoring, give
priority to people's safety and properly relocate people in
flood-hit areas amid the ongoing battle against floods.
(Xinhua News Agency July 28, 2007)