Residents taken care of after flood gates opened ( 2003-07-07 07:12) (China Daily)
Holding a piece of instant noodle in his hand, Zhang Zixue, 70, seemed
resigned about the flood that destroyed his clay house in Wangjiaba.
The sluices gate of the Wangjiaba section of the Huaihe River, one of China's
major rivers, were opened at 1 am on July 3 to divert the river's surging flood
waters caused by heavy rainfall. It closed at 6 am on July 5, after the heavy
rains stopped for several hours and the water level dropped to 28.91 metres,
0.09 metres below the safety line.
Zhang is among the 150,000 people who live in the Mengwa Flood Dviersion Area
in Funan. Altogether, 19,142 people who live on lower ground have been directly
affected by the diversion and altogether 12,000 hectares of farmland have been
submerged.
"I can understand why the sluice gates were opened. If not, people on the
upper reaches would face a serious threat,'' Zhang said.
With help from three local militia soldiers and the village head, Zhang said
that most of his valuables, as well as his livestock -- including ducks,
chickens and pigs -- were moved to safe places before the sluice gates were
opened.
Zhang and his 70-year-old wife Wang Zhaolan are now living in a camp built by
the local government, where flour, rice, coal and drinking water are provided
daily.
"We have tried every means to ensure the people's safety and minimize their
property losses,'' said Yang Wenjiu, the vice-director of the local
flood-control headquarters, who has had little opportunity to rest in the past
few days.
Yang said they went all out to arrange the emergency relief work and make the
flood diversion proceed smoothly. Although tired, he and his colleagues felt
pleased that no one has been injured or killed.
Tons of flour and rices has been delivered to 75 villages in the diversion
areas by boats and hundreds of camps have been built on higher ground in the
diversion areas.
For those whose houses have collapsed or were submerged by water, Yang said,
they had been ordered to live on the higher ground to avoid possible flood
damage.But since it has been years since there had any floods on the Huaihe
River, local people have gradually moved to lower ground.
"About 20 per cent of the people who lost their homes are living in camps,
the rest are living in the homes of their relatives and friends,'' said Yang.
"Local people have prepared some food before the arrival of the flood and, with
the extra food the local government has provided, they will have enough for at
least one month.''
Disease control and prevention in the diversion area is now the major concern
of the local government, said Yang.
About 80 doctors, including eight from the city of Fuyang, eight from Funan
County and village doctors are now in charge of the daily medical treatment and
check-ups in the diversion areas.
"These two-person teams went to each village by boat to check the health
conditions of the people here every day,'' said Zhou Hongxiang, a doctor from
the Fuyang People's Hospital.
Staff from the local disease control and prevention centres (CDC) are closely
tracing and inspecting the possible spread of diseases. "No infected diseases
appear to be spreading in the area,'' Zhang Chunfen, a medical worker from the
Funan CDC said. "We only found eight cases of dysentery, and the patients'
condition is improving.''
CDC staff are also distributing medical tablets to clean the local drinking
water, an effective way to prevent the spread of disease.
"We are ready at any time to deal with the challenges of a second influx of
flood water,'' said Yang Wenjiu.
It was the first time in 12 years that the sluice gates at Wangjiaba were
opened to divert the Huaihe's flood waters, according to the State Flood Control
and Drought Relief Headquarters.
