GUANGZHOU: Heavy rain and floods have claimed 169 lives in South China, and the forecast for the north is not bright either, with the government warning of serious flooding in the Yellow River.
The worst storms and floods in decades have hit about 38.56 million people in 20 provinces, mostly in the south, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Monday.
About 52 people are missing and 2.2 million hectares of farmland has been inundated, the ministry said. The direct economic loss has reached 26 billion yuan ($3.3 billion).
Threat of massive floods along the 5,500-km Yellow River that runs through the north looms large, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) warned yesterday.
Heavy rain in the next few days could "increase the destructive force of floods and make relief and rescue work even more difficult", the CMA said.
"National flood prevention and relief efforts are entering a crucial phase" because torrential rain are likely to raise the threat of floods in the lower and middle reaches of the Yellow River in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan and Shandong provinces, it said.
The Yellow River, China's longest after the Yangtze, has caused massive floods in the past but its devastating effects have not been felt in recent decades.
Weather forecasts warn fresh storms could lash parts of the Yangtze River delta and parts of provinces in the east, south and southwest too.
Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu said the fight against floods in South China had reached a critical stage. Hui is commander-in-chief of the country's drought- and flood-prevention headquarters too.
He told an urgent meeting yesterday that all related departments and local authorities in South China should fully realize the importance of fighting floods this year.
Twelve provinces and regions in the south have been lashed by heavy rain since June 7, with some areas experiencing the heaviest rainfall in 100 years.
Many rivers are already flowing above the danger levels and have broken their banks at some places in Guangdong province.
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