China allocates 3.1 billion funds to disaster-hit regions

China's central government has set aside subsidies of 3.1 billion yuan (392 million U.S. dollars) for disaster relief and reconstruction work so far this year, an official with China's Ministry of Civil Affairs said Wednesday.

"This year China has suffered the most severe natural disasters since 1998," Li Liguo, vice-minister of China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, told Xinhua.

Statistics from the Ministry of Civil Affairs show that up to September 11, natural disasters had killed 2,295 Chinese people and left 564 missing.

The disasters caused direct economic losses of 191.8 billion yuan and over 13.2 million people were evacuated and relocated.

Almost 6 million houses were severely damaged or destroyed.

Li said this year's death toll, economic losses, number of people affected and number of houses destroyed were all higher than the average for the past eight years.

"The number of people evacuated from disaster-hit areas this year is almost double the figure of the last few years."

Li said this year's natural disasters occurred earlier, were more violent and lasted longer. They were also more frequent and assumed a variety of forms.

Since May, east China's Fujian Province has suffered seven bouts of large-scale flooding and typhoons, which have also hit the provinces and regions of Hunan, Guangdong, Jiangxi and Guangxi.

Heavy rainfall south of the Yangtze River arrived nearly a month earlier than previous years, and in the period July to mid-August, a new typhoon tore into China every nine days.

Li cited typhoons Pearl, Saomai and Bilis, saying that China has never seen so many typhoons barreling in so close upon one another.

While floods swamped the south, northern and western regions were ravaged by drought.

According to the ministry, Chongqing Municipality and eastern Sichuan Province have suffered searing heat and a lack of rain since the beginning of summer.

Some areas are suffering the most severe droughts in 50 years, leaving 11 million people and thousands of livestock short of drinking water. Direct economic losses have already reached 7 billion yuan (875 million U.S. dollars).

Li said even though the flooding period is coming to an end, the relief work is still faced with great difficulties since large number of people who need to be relocated and houses to be reconstructed before winter.

"Majority of the population affected by the disasters were from the less developed areas, which brought about huge financial pressure to the relief work," he said.

Li said local governments were also burdened with heavy relief work since many places were repeatedly hit by disasters.

Since the beginning of this year, natural disasters have stricken China's Fujian Province for eight times, Hunan and Guangdong Provinces six times, Guangxi Province five times and Jiangxi Province four times.

The Vice Minister said the Ministry of Civil Affairs will coordinate the central departments and local authorities to increase financial input to the disaster-hit areas.

Li said the ministry will make further efforts to transport more relief materials to the areas and properly relocate the evacuated people. "Food, water, medical assistance...for the disaster-affected people must be guaranteed."

Source: Xinhua