China's natural disasters including floods, typhoons and geological disasters have affected more than 16 million people, with 147 people dead or missing, and the direct economic losses amounted to 41.18 billion yuan ($5.74 billion) in July, the worst this year, according to China's Ministry of Emergency Management on Friday.
A gate to a county floods, Beijing, August 1, 2023. /CFP
Meanwhile, 703,000 people were urgently relocated and resettled. The disasters also resulted in the collapse of 4,300 houses, severe damage to 8,400 houses, and minor damage to 40,000 houses. Also, around 3,134 thousand hectares of farmland were affected by the disasters, according to the ministry.
Cropland is submerged by floods in Baoding, Hebei Province, August 5, 2023. /CFP
Affected by Super Typhoon Doksuri, extreme rainfall occurred in northern China and other regions, while multiple flood storage areas in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei were put into use. The water level of other major rivers in China is lower than that of the same period of the previous years, with 262 rivers experiencing floods above the warning level, according to authorities.
In response to the severe rainstorm and flood disasters in Heilongjiang Province, the National Disaster Reduction Committee and the Ministry of Emergency Management have activated a Level 4 emergency response. A task force has been dispatched to the affected areas to assess the situation and provide guidance and assistance to local authorities in providing basic life assistance for the affected people.
Firefighters are on a mission of rescue and flood control in Shangzhi, Heilongjiang Province, August 4, 2023. /CFP
Efforts are being made to ensure that the affected population receives the necessary support and assistance during this challenging time.
The government is working proactively to mitigate the impact of natural disasters and reduce their devastating effects on people's lives and properties.
(With input from China Daily and Global Times)
(If you have specific expertise and want to contribute, or if you have a topic of interest that you'd like to share with us, please email us at nature@cgtn.com.)