BEIJING: President Xi Jinping issued an instruction on flood prevention and disaster relief work on Tuesday, ordering all-out search and rescue efforts to save those missing or trapped in floods and geological disasters caused by Typhoon Doksuri.
Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, also called for efforts to minimize casualties.
Due to Typhoon Doksuri, which caused extreme precipitation in northern China and areas along the Yellow and Huaihe rivers and other places, flooding and geological disasters were triggered and inflicted major casualties in areas such as Beijing and Hebei province.
He asked all areas to make every effort to search for and rescue missing or trapped people, ensure proper treatment of those injured and provide comfort to the families of the victims.
The affected individuals should be properly resettled, and damaged infrastructure such as for transportation, communication and electricity should be repaired as soon as possible in order to restore regular production and daily life, he said. Xi emphasized that the nation is currently undergoing a critical period in flood control.
The president asked the authorities to reinforce monitoring, forecasting and early warning, enhance inspection duty, focus on critical parts and places for flood control, fully carry out flood control measures with precision, and make every effort to protect lives and property and secure social stability. The instruction came as what is left of Typhoon Doksuri continued to dump rain on many parts of northern China on Tuesday, though the rain has been decreasing in its intensity.
Continuous downpours have lashed Beijing since Saturday, leaving at least 11 dead and 13 missing, according to local flood control headquarters.
Six of the deceased are from the mountainous Mentougou and Fangshan districts, the worst-affected areas in Beijing, the headquarters said.
As of 6 am on Tuesday, Beijing recorded average precipitation of 257.9 millimeters. Mentougou and Fangshan received precipitation of about 470 mm and 415 mm, respectively, it said.
The average annual precipitation in the capital, however, is only about 600 mm.
To date, around 127,000 residents across the city have been relocated due to the rainfall, the headquarters said. The lingering rainfall forced Beijing authorities to put a flood detention reservoir into operation on Monday. It is the first time that the Zhaitang reservoir has been used to detain floodwater since it was constructed for the purpose in 1998.
Torrential rains have also battered North China’s Hebei province since Saturday, leaving nine dead and six missing, local authorities said.
Flood control authorities in Hebei and Tianjin have also resorted to rarely used flood detention areas to cope with the deluge. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
