Dyke breach in China’s No 2 freshwater lake Dongting sparks emergency evacuation
- Dongting Lake is a flood basin of the Yangtze River, whose middle and lower reaches are forecast to see more rain in the coming fortnight
The length of the breach in Dongting Lake, Hunan province, more than doubled overnight, widening from 100 metres (328 feet) on Friday to 220 metres as of midday Saturday, state-affiliated media reports said.
Nearly 6,000 people in the affected county of Huarong were evacuated, according to state news agency Xinhua. There are no reports of casualties.
More than 2,000 local relief workers and 610 boats have been mobilised for emergency rescue work in Huarong, with nearly 10,000 tonnes of sand and stone and 18 trucks deployed to seal the breach within four days, according to an expert quoted by Xinhua.
President Xi Jinping has urged all-out rescue and relief efforts.
“Since China entered the main flood season last month, some areas in the country have experienced heavy rainfall for a prolonged duration, leading to a severe flood control situation,” Xinhua quoted Xi, who is on a state visit to Tajikistan, as saying on Friday.
“The prolonged water erosion of embankments may result in dangerous situations, posing significant risks and hidden dangers.”
A national rescue team consisting of 800 people, nearly 150 vehicles and 82 boats have been sent to the site by the Ministry of Emergency Management. And the Finance Ministry has issued 540 million yuan (US$75 million) in disaster relief.
