Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has called for measures to mitigate the effects of this year’s disastrous flooding which has left scores dead and inflicted massive damage on crops, homes and infrastructure, including in and around Beijing.
At least 90 rivers have risen above warning levels and 24 have already overflowed their banks, state media said, adding that they are threatening a vast area in northeastern China with flooding, including the Songliao Basin north of the capital, which encompasses more than 1.2 million square kilometers with a population of almost 100 million.
“As China is still in the main flood season, rainstorms, floods, typhoons and other disasters still occur frequently in many places across the country,” Xinhua news agency said, summarizing conclusions of Thursday’s politburo meeting which was presided over by Xi.
Participants “urged relevant localities and departments to always prioritize the safety of people’s lives and property, and keep doing a good job in flood prevention and disaster relief,” the agency said.
The reinforcement of dams and the efficient use of disaster relief funds to “repair damaged infrastructure such as transport, communications and electricity, and restore farmland and agricultural facilities” is crucial, it said.
Schools, hospitals and nursing homes must be swiftly restored, along with damaged housing “to ensure the affected residents can return home or move to new homes before the winter.”
The flooding this year has also affected large parts of the central and eastern parts of the country, both in the semi-tropical south and the northern plains.
Much of China is having a particularly damp summer, with 142 people killed by flooding last month and dozens more this month.
Meteorologists warned that thunderstorms, gales and hail would affect parts of Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Hebei, Beijing and Tianjin in the north, along with Henan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian to the center and southeast.
Residents have been urged to reduce outdoor activities and seek shelter.
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