About 42.27 million Chinese have been affected by floods and
drought so far this year, the Office of the State Flood Control and
Drought Relief Headquarters said on Monday.
Statistics showed that by July 2, floods have affected the
livelihood of 34.88 million people and 1.826 million hectares of
crops in 18 provincial regions, mainly in southern China. The
floods killed 233 people and destroyed 118,500 houses.
In the meantime, in northern China drought has caused drinking
water shortage for 7.39 million people and 5.79 million head of
livestock, and affected 10.3 million hectares of arable land,
including 9.6 million hectares of crops.
Zhang Zhitong, deputy chief of the office, said as China has
entered a flood season, heavy floods may occur in major rivers and
the drought-hit north may also suffer sudden flooding due to heavy
rains. Typhoons may hit coastal areas in southeast China more
frequently. While possible northward movement of the subtropical
belt may cause drought in South China and the regions to the south
of the Yangtze River, he said.
Recent rainfalls have already brought the water level of certain
branches of the Pearl River, the Yangtze, the Minjiang River (in
east China's Fujian Province) and the Nenjiang River (in north
China's Heilongjiang Province) above their alert levels, said
Zhang, adding that more rainfalls in the future may lead to heavy
floods in these big rivers.
(Xinhua News Agency July 3, 2007)