Natural disasters kill 1,382 people across China in first half this year
31/7/2006 15:42
At least 1,382 people have been killed amid frequent natural disasters
across China since the beginning of the year, says a leading Chinese
meteorological official.
Qin Dahe, director of China Meteorological
Administration, told Xinhua that under the impact of abnormal climate, China has
had a higher incidence of natural disasters this year compared to that for the
same period last year.
The natural disasters which have proved to be more
disastrous than those happening before include drought, torrential rains,
typhoons, sand storms, blizzards, forest fires, rock and mud flows. They have so
far caused 100 billion yuan (about US$12.5 billion) in direct economic losses,
says Qin.
The flooding caused by Typhoon Bilis alone left 612 people dead and
208 more missing in the country, according to Qin, who is also a member of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences.
While blaming global warming as the key factor
for the higher rate and more disastrous cases of natural disaster, the official
insists greater efforts should be made to improve the capabilities of preventing
and limiting the damages of natural disasters.
"To this end, while keeping
development as the overriding task, it is necessary to persist in following a
sustainable path featuring a harmony between the mankind and the nature, and to
rely on scientific and technological progress for improving capacity of doing
research on, monitoring, forecasting and issuing alarms against impending
natural disasters," says Qin.
xinhua
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