Water and electricity supplies were restored yesterday in Northwest
China's
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which was rocked by a
devastating earthquake last week that left hundreds dead and
thousands homeless.
Residents in the disaster areas have struggled to get their lives
back to normal with assistance from home and abroad, while relief
workers braved icy sleet to distribute food, quilts and other aid
to survivors.
A
10-kilovolt emergency power line that stretches over 1 kilometre
has been set up in Bachu County of Xinjiang to guarantee a normal
electricity supply, although sub-zero temperatures, snow and rain
have hampered relief work since Saturday, according to local
officials.
Vehicles have been mobilized around the clock to provide adequate
water for people and livestock in Qongkurqak, a Bachu township that
was the most seriously hit by the deadly quake.
All of its water supply facilities, including about 200
motor-pumped wells and 200 kilometres of major water transportation
lines, were destroyed.
Zhu Zhunping, a township official responsible for the quake-relief
effort, said people had started to repair water pipelines and dig
new wells, adding that more water should be available soon.
The overwhelming earthquake, which registered 6.8 on the Richter
scale, jolted Jiashi and Bachu counties on February 24, leaving at
least 268 people dead, over 4,000 injured and flattening nearly
9,000 houses.
Although aftershocks still rattle nerves in the earthquake zone, a
story from Xinhua saying a strong aftershock measuring 5.2 on the
Richter scale hit Bachu yesterday morning has proven to be a
rumour, according to the China Seismological Bureau.
An
unnamed bureau official said there was a minor aftershock early
yesterday, but it only reached 4 on the Richter scale.
So
far, Xinjiang has received nearly 60 million yuan (US$7.3 million)
in donations and another 16 million yuan (US$1.9 million) worth of
relief material from home and abroad, according to the autonomous
region's government.
(China Daily March 5, 2003)