Communist Party cadres across China must work tirelessly to “resolutely prevent” infrastructure failures and prepare for emergencies as the risk of severe flooding increases, the party’s top leadership warned on Thursday.
The warning was issued at a meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee, chaired by President Xi Jinping, where cadres were told that they must “always be on high alert and take initiative” in flood control efforts, state media reported.
“[We must] do everything we can to prevent the breaching of embankments of major rivers and the collapse of dams at large and key reservoirs,” a read-out of the meeting said.
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“[We must] check all hidden risks and dangers of all essential infrastructures such as the north-south water diversion canals, east-west gas pipelines, motorways and railways, as well as key points such as urban underground spaces, bridges and tunnels, and implement emergency measures to ensure safe operation,” it said.
The seven-member Politburo Standing Committee is the Chinese Communist Party’s highest decision-making body. July and August usually mark the start of the active typhoon season in China, and the meeting came after several recent major infrastructure emergencies.
Earlier this month, Dongting Lake in Hunan province, China’s second largest freshwater lake, suffered a dyke breach that led to the evacuation of at least 7,000 residents. Last week, more than a dozen people died when a highway bridge collapsed in a flash flood in Shaanxi province.
Three months ago, 51 people were killed in a landslide caused by heavy rains in southern Guangdong province. Several other provinces also have reported deadly flooding incidents.
China is now in the peak rainy season and the large rivers across the country, including the Yangtze, the Yellow, the Huai, the Hai, the Songhua and the Liao all face a high risk of severe flooding.
Earlier on Thursday, the National Meteorological Centre issued this year’s first red alert, as Super Typhoon Gaemi reached the mainland’s eastern coast, after it hit Taiwan and brought devastating rain to the Philippines.
The standing committee also reminded cadres that “we must always give top priority to the protection of people’s lives”, according to the read-out, which added that disaster monitoring, early warning, rapid emergency response, potential weak spot inspection as well as precautionary resident evacuation must all be improved.
The leadership also ordered that all law enforcement units and the military be vigilant; that officials responsible for disaster relief, evacuation and relocation be prepared; and that schools and medical facilities be ready for emergencies.
“We must urgently repair damaged infrastructure like water conservancy, electricity, transport and telecommunications, and organise and lead people who have been affected by floods to resume production and rebuild their homes,” the read-out said.
“We must do a solid job in agricultural disaster prevention and mitigation, minimise agricultural losses and guarantee national food security.”
More from South China Morning Post:
- 12 dead, dozens missing after bridge collapses amid floods in China’s Shaanxi province
- China places 15 provinces on emergency alert as deadly floods make their way north
- China’s extreme weather raises alarm about the country’s disaster insurance gaps
- China’s Three Gorges Dam on flood alert as rain batters megacity Chongqing
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