Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao asked the nation to be prepared for
a further worsening of the flood situation as the country enters
the main flood season.
Wen, accompanied by Vice Premier Hui Liangyu, flew to seriously flooded Fuyang
of Anhui Province in east China early Saturday morning to inspect
disaster-relief work.
Over the past two weeks, the whole valley of China's Huaihe
River has been hit by the most serious floods since 1954, with
heavy losses to life and property.
Wen first visited Yingxian Township of Linquan County, where 155
villages were besieged by floods due to especially heavy rainstorms
a few days ago. The township set up 21 temporary shelters for the
villagers. At a shelter in Yingnan Village, Wen talked with
villagers in a tent, asking them about their health care, food and
water supplies.
He asked local officials to focus on three things: one is to
ensure the safety of drinking water by checking water quality; the
second is the prevention and cure of diseases, especially endemic
and infectious diseases; and the third is house repairs. Flooded
houses must undergo a safety check before villagers return to
occupy them.
In the afternoon he went to Wangjiaba, the site of a key
hydrological station first built in 1953 and renovated in 2003.
Local officials told Wen that on July 10, Wangjiaba opened its
sluices to divert the floods and 180,000 mu (about 12,000 hectares)
of farmland in the Mengwa flood buffer zone was submerged, with all
villagers safe. Now nearly 160,000 villagers have moved to highland
villages or temporary shelters.
Wen praised the local people for their devotion to flood
fighting, saying that the State Flood Control and Drought Relief
Headquarters had made the correct decision to divert the floods,
and Anhui Province had contributed to the safety of the upper and
lower reaches of the Huaihe River.
In the Mengwa flood buffer zone, Wen inspected submerged crops
and talked with villagers. He expressed thanks to the villagers for
their contribution and promised that the government will compensate
villagers in the buffer zone for their losses.
After a 10-hour tour of the flood-hit areas, Wen chaired a
symposium on disaster-relief work. He fully approved the results
achieved so far in flood-fighting.
He stressed that this is only the early stage of the main flood
season, and that the whole country must be prepared for the worse
things to happen. Flood fighting and disaster relief work must be
well organized and all forces must be mobilized to win the fight
against floods.
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(Xinhua News Agency July 15, 2007)
