This year's flood season in China has thus far claimed 1,532 lives across the country, according to statistics provided by the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs on Wednesday.

As of September 2002, floods and water logging have victimized a total of 190 million people to varying extent, destroyed 1.053 million homes, damaged 2.695 million room houses, affected 13.15 million hectares of cropland and inflicted damage on a large number of infrastructure facilities.

Local governments at various levels have displaced 2.445 million people as an emergency measure to safer and more secured places.

Most of the damage was brought on by exceptionally heavy rains which resulted in torrential floods, landslides and mud-rock flows.

While the Yangtze River has been frequented by torrential rains and floods, the other six major rivers around the country remain stable on the whole, the ministry said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 4, 2002)