Heavy rain has again hit the central part of northwest China's
Shaanxi
Province over the past three days, which may lead to more
flooding in the Weihe River valley.
From Wednesday night until Friday, the Weinan Prefecture in
eastern Shaanxi, where serious flooding has struck in the past two
weeks, was hit by heavy rain.
The provincial flood prevention headquarters and local
departments concerned have issued notices to every county and
district in Weinan urging local governments to pay close attention
to the potential for flooding.
"Because the embankment of Weihe has become softer after the
soaking it got from the previous flood, and the damaged embankments
of Weihe's tributaries have not been rebuilt completely, any new
flooding will cause disaster if we do not prepare properly," the
provincial flood prevention headquarters said.
According to weather forecasts, most of Shaanxi can expect rain
over the weekend and some parts of the province's central and
southern regions will continue to be hit by heavy rain.
While paying great attention to the potential for flooding, the
local government is also providing provisions and shelters for the
people hit by the flooding.
At a conference on Thursday, the provincial government asked all
governments and departments concerned at all levels to ensure that
all of those suffering from the past flooding have enough food and
clothing and are assisted in terms of housing for the coming
winter.
And the provincial government also urged the Weinan government
to drain the water from inundated areas quickly, to make sure the
autumn sowing can go ahead as usual.
In Weinan, which suffered serious flooding in late August, there
are still more than 120,000 people living in tents and they are in
need of warm clothing for the coming winter, said Cao Lili, mayor
of Weinan.
(China Daily September 20, 2003)