OPINION> Commentary
Another grim test
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-05-30 08:23

With the nation preoccupied with the daunting relief and rebuilding tasks in the quake zone in the southwest Sichuan province, sad figures from the Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters (SFDH) warn us that more troubles may be on their way for our natural disaster-prone country.

Till yesterday, the deadliest of rainstorms of the year have left 48 people dead, 25 missing, and numerous homes in ruins in some parts of the country.

This may be only the beginning of another capricious high-water season. Judging from past experiences, the worst is yet to come. In most years, the high concentration of precipitation in July and August usually accompanies heavier losses.

It is yet to be known whether or not, after years of drought in areas along the Yangtze River, we will be put to the test of the feared severe flooding whose magnitude will be comparable with that in 1998. While praying for the best, we will have to prepare for the worst.

Hydrological authorities in Hubei province have forecast both a summer drought and potentially severe flooding on the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

We cannot afford being caught unprepared by the worst scenario feared.

Consecutive days of heavy rainfall that has swept much of the country's southern provinces has prompted the SFDH to activate a Grade III emergency response program, and dispatch teams of experts to the provinces to supervise flood prevention.

The short-term abnormality will last at least until tomorrow, according to the Central Meteorological Station. National meteorological departments have enhanced monitoring and sharing of information in order to improve severe weather forecasts.

With manpower, logistics, and various other resources concentrated in the quake areas, where subsistence remains a daily struggle for millions of victims daunted by fears of potential risks of epidemics and the unpredictable barrier lakes, vigilance is particularly important against the gathering danger of flooding.

This is not only because we have been hearing warnings of unusual flooding threats. What adds to our anxiety is the revelation that more than 2,000 dams across the country have suffered varying degrees of damage during the May 12 tremor. That will inevitably acerbate the conditions on the dam-dotted rivers, particularly those in the south, and considerably increase the cost of flood prevention.

(China Daily 05/30/2008 page8)