Natural disasters combined in China left 2,475 people dead, 15.7
million persons displaced, 2.264 million houses collapsed and led
to direct economic losses of 204.21 billion yuan (US$25.53 billion)
in 2005, Li Liguo, vice minister of Civil Affairs, said in Beijing
on Thursday.
Given the unforgivingness of nature in 2005, the numbers of
evacuees and direct economic losses have recorded a new high in
recent five years, with the death toll second to that in 2001 and
the number of collapsed houses second only to that in 2003 when
heavy deluge flooded the Huaihe River, official statistics
show.
2005 witnessed yet another year fraught with natural disasters
for China, Li said at a press conference.
In the year China was "plagued by flood, typhoon, drought,
hailstorm and snowstorm, freeze, landslide, mud and rock flow and
earthquake, among other disasters," he said.
Li noted that major tributaries of the Pearl River, Huaihe and
Liaohe River Basins, the Minjiang River in Fujian Province, the
Yangtze River and the Yellow River were hard hit by inundation.
Extreme climatic events, landslide and mud and rock flow haunted
parts of China, leaving a tragic trail of casualties and
destruction.
Eight powerful typhoons landing along the eastern and southern
coast swept many areas with hefty losses incurred.
Henan and Yunnan provinces have experienced rare and severe
droughts ever recorded in recent years.
Of the 13 earthquakes measuring 5 degrees of magnitude that
ravaged the Chinese mainland, the one measuring 5.7 degrees on
Richter scale left Jiujiang of Jiangxi Province with huge economic
losses, Li said.
In response to these disasters, the MCA has collaborated with
relevant departments to earmark 8.7 billion yuan (US$1.09 billion)
as the central budget for disaster rescue and relief initiatives,
Li said.
The State Natural Disaster Relief Contingency Plan was put in
place, he said, stressing the total of emergency plans executed in
2005 far outnumbered that in 2003 and 2004, which registered 16 and
12 respectively.
"The disaster reduction capacity in China has been tremendously
enhanced across the board," he said.
The leadership of State Disaster Reduction Commission committed
to disaster reduction and relief efforts has been improved with the
strong support of a newly established panel consisting of 18
academicians and renowned experts, he said.
The round-the-clock disaster monitoring mechanism has taken
shape, and a meeting system designed to bring competent departments
together on a monthly basis has been improving.
Meanwhile, the ground system for the moonlet constellation
designed for environment and disaster monitoring approved by the
State Council started operation and the community-based Disaster
Reduction Outreach Campaign was launched nationwide to enhance the
public awareness, he noted.
The Chinese government also intensified its cooperation with the
international community for disaster reduction and relief in
2005.
In addition, donation drive has been well organized across the
country, Li said.
According to government statistics, the Chinese civil society
donated 656 million yuan (US$81.39 million) for the affected
areas.
"The 'one-to-one' program has turned out to be quite
productive," Li said. With this program, 10 provinces and
municipalities including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jiangsu and
Zhejiang donated 11.6 million yuan (US$1.43 million) and other
disaster relief supplies to 12 provinces and autonomous regions
including Hebei and Inner Mongolia.
Various localities carried out diversified donation drives
featuring the theme of "winter clothing warms the heart" in
response to the initiative proposed by Hu Jintao, general secretary
of the Communist Party of China (
CPC) Central Committee, he stressed.
Official statistics by December 18 indicated that the members of
the CPC pooled over 40.05 million yuan (US$5 million) in cash and
520,000 pieces of winter clothing and quilts to help the affected
weather through the harsh winter.
These donations at various levels are important to help the
needy and the affected in urban and rural areas to tide over their
difficulties, Li said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2006)