Disastrous winter weather has caused 16.2 billion yuan (2.25
billion U.S. dollars) in losses for China's forestry sector, Cao
Qingyao, State Forestry Administration (SFA) spokesman,
said?in Beijing?on Saturday.
By Jan. 31, 2.49 million forest workers and residents of 14
provinces and regions had been affected. Some 120,000 houses were
wrecked or had collapsed, he said. The weather also damaged 5.46
million hectares of bamboo, 5.18 million ha of forest and 36,700 ha
of seedlings.
The cost in treating sick wild animals and economic loss from
animal deaths reached 17 million yuan, Cao said.
The death toll for wildlife killed this winter was
unavailable.
On Hunan Province's frozen Dongting Lake, the cold weather and a
lack of food put the lives of 160,000 migratory birds at risk, the
China Green Times, published by SFA, reported.
Cao said the administration had allocated 4.3 million yuan to
aid 39,000 households worst hit by the disaster in Hunan, Hubei,
Anhui, Jiangxi and Guizhou provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous
Region.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Finance earmarked 30 million yuan
for these disaster-stricken areas.
The severe weather of the past three weeks could persist until
Feb. 9, according to the latest Central Meteorological Station
forecasts.
Total economic losses, so far, had amounted to about 53.9
billion yuan, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Friday. It said
the snow had killed at least 60 people and forced nearly 1.759
million to relocate.
(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2008)
