Sunday, July 5, 2009

126 million yuan for south China flood relief. July 5, 2009

Every summer in China there is extensive problems in the south from too much water and extensive problems in the north caused by lack of water.


http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/05/content_11657687.htm


China allocates 126 mln yuan for south China flood relief
www.chinaview.cn 2009-07-05 21:35:34 Print

BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government has allocated more than 126 million yuan (about 18.4 U.S. dollars) for disaster relief in six worst rainstorm-hit provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities in south China, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said here Sunday.

The six provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities include Guangxi, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou and Chongqing.

A total of 5,200 tents were also sent to Guangxi, Jiangxi and Hunan to provide shelter for the people displaced there, the ministry said.

While Beijing and neighboring provinces are fighting heat waves, the southern half of the country has been drenched in rain or flood since late June.

The latest round of rainstorms and flood, also this year's worst according to the ministry, had battered 12 provinces, killing 75 people and leaving another 13 missing and 938,000 homeless as of 4 p.m. Sunday.

Close to 40 million people were affected by the rainstorms and the flood, it said, adding that a total of 101,000 houses were toppled in the flood, causing over 13 billion yuan (about 1.9 billion U.S. dollars) in direct economic losses, it said.
Editor: Wang Guanqun

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Flooding in Central China, July 4, 2009

It's been a while since I've worked on this blog, my second blog, but I am thinking of taking it up again.

To see a map of the effected area click here.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/03/content_11645891.htm


Rain-triggered landslide leaves six dead, one missing in central China

CHANGSHA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Six people are dead and another is missing after rains triggered a landslide in central China's Hunan Province Thursday, the local government said.

The landslide happened in Shuangfeng County, which saw an average rainfall of 100 mm Thursday, the county government said in a statement Friday.

It toppled at least two homes in Shiniu Village, killing a family of four and leaving another villager missing. Two more deaths were reported in the neighboring towns of Santangpu and Heye.

The local government on Thursday closed two of the county's five bridges to all vehicles and pedestrians, and sent security guards to keep watch at the other three, as safety precautions.

As of Friday, the rainstorm has destroyed 3,800 homes, 800 embankments and almost 40,000 hectares of cropland in the county, the local flood control office said.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs sent a disaster relief team to Hunan Thursday night.

Rainstorms that started on Sunday have battered 22 areas across the country, killing 95 people and leaving 21 missing, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said Wednesday.

It said the rainstorms caused 10.78 billion yuan (1.48 billion U.S. dollars) in direct economic losses.

Friday, June 12, 2009

June 12: China suspends work on two Jinsha River dams

This story deals with hydroelectric dams on the Jinsha River.


http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-06/12/content_8279027.htm
China suspends key hydropower projects
By Li Jing (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-12 16:04
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The fate of a 200-billion yuan investment in eight hydropower stations along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River is in question, as the national environmental watchdog has blocked it citing environmental concerns.

China suspends key hydropower projects

The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) yesterday suspended approval for hydropower projects along the middle reaches of Jinsha River, after finding that two dams had been illegally constructed on it.

The Ludila hydropower project by Huadian Power, and the Longkaikou project by Huaneng Power, both located in Lijiang, Yunnan province, blocked the river for the construction effort in January, without reviewing their environmental impact, Tao Detian, the ministry's spokesman said.

Building dams without proper designs and environmental protection measures would damage the water ecology, both upriver and downriver, as well as negatively impact local communities, Tao said.

The MEP said it would further debate the environmental and ecological risks of building hydropower stations along the river. "Before that, the MEP will not approve any new hydro projects," he said. "For the approved projects, supplementary environmental reviews will be needed."

Jinsha River, the 2,300 km section of the Yangtze River from Yushu in Qinghai province to Yibin in Sichuan, is rich in hydropower resources and home to diverse ethnic minority groups as well as some of China's most important biodiversity hot spots.

A string of eight hydropower projects have been planned for the middle reaches of the Jinsha River, or the 564 km section in Yunnan province. With a budget of 200 billion yuan, the total installed capacity is expected to touch 20.58 gW, about the same as the massive Three Gorges dam hydropower project.

Among the cascading hydropower works, Jin'anqiao dam is already getting built, and the environment impact assessment of the A'hai project had won approval from the MEP earlier this year.

The plan for the first of the cascading projects, a hydropower plant at Tiger Leaping Gorge, was suspended as a result of public disputes in 2005.

"The hydropower resource along the Jinsha River is already being over exploited, which will damage the ecological security in the region." said Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Jinsha River pools the most precious fish species of the Yangtze, said Ma, and building cascading hydropower works will lead to irreversible loss of aquatic biodiversity.

"All the available mitigation measures, such as artificial breeding, will not be able to eliminate the damage," Ma said.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

January 7, 2009: China Water: Drought in Shanxi

Drought in the northeast, specifically in Shanxi province.

See: Shanxi map


http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/07/content_10619496.htm


Prolonged drought hits parts of north, east China
www.chinaview.cn 2009-01-07 19:13:13 Print

TAIYUAN, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Six provinces in north and east China are battling a prolonged drought that has affected water supplies for people, livestock and agriculture.

Nearly 1 million people and 160,000 head of livestock in Shanxi have faced difficulties getting drinking water due to the prolonged drought since October, the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said on Wednesday.

The province has had no rain since late November, it said, and the drought has affected 520,000 hectare of wheat land, 140,000 ha severely.

Irrigation facilities were fully commissioned and new wells were dug. Staff are being organized to transport drinking water to people who have difficulties getting it.

The drought has also hit other provinces such as Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Anhui and Gansu, all major wheat producers.

Anhui water resource authorities said the affected areas had mobilized more than 600,000 people and commissioned 30,000 wells to combat drought, with subsidies for farmers in certain areas.

The Ministry of Agriculture said Tuesday the six provinces had had 5.42 million ha of drought-hit cropland, almost five times the area last year.

The ministry said it had dispatched working teams to the provinces to help with the drought relief work.

A full calculation of the number of people short of drinking water is not available.
Editor: Yang Lina