China faces worst flooding in 12 years on Yangtze

Reuters 15 Jul 10;

BEIJING, July 15 (Reuters) - Central China faces its worst flooding since 1998 when thousands died, as rain continues to batter the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River, a state newspaper said on Thursday.

"Although the current situation along the Yangtze River has yet to reach the danger level, it is definitely at a crucial point," the China Daily quoted senior flood official Wang Jingquan as saying.

"If heavy rain hits the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, coupled with the continuous rainfall in the middle and lower reaches, severe flooding similar to that in 1998 will occur," Wang added.

"There will be no room for optimism as the incoming Typhoon Conson will add to the grave situation in flood control," he added, referring to a storm heading towards the southern Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Hainan.

Yangtze floods in 1998 killed more than 4,000 people, forced the evacuation of more than 18 million and causes damage worth $37 billion, the newspaper said.

Rain across a large swathe of southern China has already killed around 400 people this year.

Storms over the last week in Yunnan, Sichuan and Hunan provinces have killed at least 41 and left nearly 40 others missing, with many vanishing under landslides.

President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have ordered local governments to step up flood relief efforts and "stressed that people residing in areas under the threat of floods and typhoons must be relocated to safety in a timely manner", the report said. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Alex Richardson)