Workers erected flood control barriers and disinfected towns and villages against water-borne diseases yesterday as China braced for more rain after deluges that left more than 730 people dead or missing.
Swollen rivers in the south of the country started receding but officials did not dare lower their guard as more rain was predicted and devastating epidemics remained a real risk. Heavy rain was expected to sweep across Guangxi region, one of the worst-hit areas during this year's flood season, and lash other severely affected parts of the vast country, Xinhua reported.
"Flood control work is still tough in these areas," said E Jingping, vice minister of water resources, according to Xinhua.
PHOTO: AP
Floods have always been part of life in China, but this year they have been unusually devastating, leaving 567 people dead and 165 missing.
More than 44 million people have been affected by flooding, leading to the emergency evacuation of some 2.45 million, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.
As the immediate threat of flooding declined, offering respite at least for the time being, officials were turning to the menace of lethal water-borne diseases.
In Guangxi region, which is one of China's poorest areas and is inhabited by large numbers of ethnic minorities, officials flew in disinfectants in a desperate attempt to ward off epidemics.
"We're doing everything we can to prevent epidemic outbreaks," said an official with the Guangxi Flood Relief Headquarters.
Medical workers from parts of Guangxi not affected by the floods were dispatched to the inundated areas to join teams fanning into the countryside. Dressed in protective suits, they went from house to house in the cities, towns and villages, spraying disinfectants.
"We use helicopters in areas that are too far off to be easily reached by foot or car," said the official.
Altogether 300 medical teams were working long hours throughout Guangxi to prevent epidemics, the Xinhua news agency said.
Access to clean drinking water and ample medical supplies was on a list of priorities published by the Ministry of Civil Affairs Saturday.
The city of Wuzhou is particularly flood-prone, with the years 1994 and 1998 etched into the memories of residents as especially harrowing experiences.
"Luckily, there were no epidemics those two years," said an official with the flood control headquarters.
"This time the situation is still not clear, but so far we haven't received any epidemic report."
On Friday the Ministry of Health issued a circular to step up monitoring and prevention against a potential outbreak of cholera and other intestinal infections as stagnant waters across southern China became breeding grounds for disease, the China News Service said.
The ministry said nearly 3,400 cases of cholera, dysentery and typhoid fever had been recorded in the first six months of the year and warned that the incidence of such diseases was on the rise.
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