Guangxi hit hard by heavy rain, Chongqing faces month of no rain
Source: CCTV.com | 07-15-2008 08:26
Torrential rain and severe drought continue to plague China. Heavy rainstorms in the south have affected 360,000 people in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and a month of no rain has left 310,000 in Chongqing Municipality with no drinking water.
Heavy rainstorms in the south have affected 360,000 people in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Heavy rainstorms in the south have affected 360,000 people
in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Torrential rain has been slamming southern and central parts of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region since Friday.
In some counties, the water was as deep as two meters, the worst flooding they'd seen in six decades.
A landslide has cut off a village near the capital Nanning, trapping more than 500 residents. Rescuers are working on plans to clear the 3-kilometer road.
The heavy rain also caused a dam to burst early Monday morning. But all residents had been evacuated earlier.
In the three most severely affected cities, the rain demolished more than 500 rooms and is likely to ruin more than 14,000 tons of grain.
In addition, three industrial and mining enterprises have suspended operation and three highways are damaged.
Weather experts forecast the storms will continue for the coming two days.
While people in Guangxi hope for a sunny day, further north in Chongqing Municipality, they're praying for rain.
Since mid-June, rainfall has been less than the average of previous years in nearly half of the counties. Severe drought has hit 14 counties, affecting about a hundred thousand hectares of crops.
Reservoirs damaged in the May 12th earthquake add to the woes that have left more than 310,000 people short of drinking water.
The local authorities are speeding up construction of an emergency water resources project, which could help quench Chongqing's thirst.
