China is in the midst of its flood season. Official statistics say that in the past couple of months, more than 19 million people have been affected by floods, 119 have been killed and 12 are still missing.
The heaviest flood areas are concentrated in the south, southeast and southwest, affecting more than 16 provinces and regions. More than 1.2 million hectares of croplands have been damaged, and direct economic losses reached over 30 billion yuan.
The Flood Control and Drought Relief Office said this year’s floods are worse than in the previous years, and the country is facing growing pressure to prevent secondary disasters, including debris flows and landslides. The central government has already allocated 59 million yuan of disaster funds to support the affected areas.
