China's State Council on Thursday urged local governments to
maintain a high alert against natural disasters as relief and
prevention remained a pressing task.
"The season of flood and typhoons is not finished yet. High
temperatures and drought are worsening in many regions, triggering
the danger of forest fires," said the meeting's memorandum.
Presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao, the executive meeting
praised PLA solders, armed police, public security forces, and
militia who had conducted emergency operations during and after
Typhoon Saomai and during the strongest drought to hit China in
half a century.
The meeting required local governments to make protection of the
lives and property of the public a priority.
Meteorological and hydrological departments must give timely
warnings of weather and river-level changes. The risks of
geological dangers, such as landslides and mud-rock flows, and
forest fires must be publicized as soon as possible, it said.
The executive urged local governments to inspect dams and
reservoirs to assess the risks of breaches during the flood
season.
In drought-ravaged Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality,
the priority was to secure drinkable water supplies for the people.
Damaged water supply and irrigation facilities must be repaired
immediately. Small and efficient water-storage and transmission
facilities should be put to use.
The statement said clean drinking water, clothing and shelter,
medical services and schooling should be available to those
affected.
Government officials must take all possible measures to increase
the incomes of disaster victims and minimize their losses, it
noted.
The maintenance and construction of school buildings should be a
priority of post-disaster reconstruction, it stressed.
(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2006)