21 grounded boats rescued in SW China river as drought, forest fires ravage region
来源:百度文库 编辑:神马文学网 时间:2024/03/29 13:17:27
21 grounded boats rescued in SW China river as drought, forest fires ravage region
16:50, February 23, 2010
Email | Print | Subscribe | Comments | Forum
Increases the bookmark twitter facebook digg Google Windowslive Delicious buzz friendfeed Linkedin diigo reddit stumbleupon At least 21 Chinese grounded boats have been rescued on the Mekong River, a cross-border river flowing out of China from southwest China's Yunnan Province, the marine affairs bureau in Yunnan said on Tuesday.The bureau's subsidiary in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, which borders Laos and Myanmar, has stopped issuing pass permits to vessels and repeatedly sent warnings to foreign vessels, telling them of the danger.
"The river is at its lowest level in 50 years. The boats grounded in the river sections in Laos and Myanmar have been pulled to relatively safer waters on the river or to docks in Thailand. But the vessels are not completely out of danger," said Liu Rongming, deputy chief of the Xishuangbanna bureau.
He said Chinese rescuers have sent relief goods and money to the crews.
The river's flow is only half the normal level, as a rare, large-scale drought -- the worst in 50 years -- hits southwest China, according to the bureau.
The river, called Lancang River, flowed at 240-260 cubic meters per second Monday, compared with 400-500 cubic meters per second in normal years.
The drought started in July last year has brought drinking water shortages to 4.9 million residents and 3.34 million livestock, according to the provincial headquarters of drought relief.
The provincial headquarters said 187 forest fires have been reportedly extinguished in the province since November last year, which is 56 percent more than the number in the same period of the previous year.
A fire burning for two days in a forest near Kunming, the provincial capital, was basically brought under control on Tuesday, according to the Forest Fire Control Headquarters in Xishan District, Kunming.
The headquarters said 15 hectares of forest was destroyed, mainly pine and eucalypt trees. More than 800 fire fighters were dispatched to fight the fire.
The provincial drought relief headquarters said Yunnan has newly recruited 16,171 forest wardens to bring the total number to 70,000, in order to closely monitor forest fires.
The meteorological station in Yunnan's neighboring region, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said the rare drought had also affected Guangxi and Guizhou provinces. Some of these provinces' regions have not seen rain since August last year.
"Such an extreme drought has not been seen for 50 years," said Tan Zhinian, chief weatherman at the station.
He said scientists with the station has noticed an El Nino affecting southwest China, which is likely related to the extreme weather.
The station has also noticed that the average temperature in Guangxi has risen 0.13 degree Celsius every ten years. The temperature rise has been faster in winter, when it climbed 0.21 degree Celsius every ten years, he said.
Source: Xinhua
21 grounded boats rescued in SW China river as drought, forest fires ravage region
53.36 mln mu of farmland suffering drought
Drought continues to ravage SW China
Drought continues to ravage southwest China, extending to north
Weather rockets curb forest fire amid southwest China drought
Drought inflicts a heavy toll
Drought causes economic loss of 952 mln USD in Yunnan Province
Gov't steps up emergency response to drought in S China
240,000 people lack drinking water as drought hits south China
China allocates fund to fight worst drought in 50 years in south
21 grounded boats rescued in SW China river as drought, forest fires ravage region
Authorities in central China issue warning as Yangtze River branch river swells
China ends emergency response as southwestern drought eases
Eco-Forum opens in SW China
Wild elephants electrocuted in sw China
Mudslide in SW China's Wenchuan kills 15 people
Death toll rises to 12 in SW China landslide
29 arrested in police raid on SW China drug den
Mudslide in SW China's Wenchuan kills 15 people
China to drill more wells as drought persists//Automakers Geely, Ford may pen Volvo deal Sunday
India Digs In Its Heels as China Flexes Its Muscles?
severe drought hits southwest china
Two climbers die after falling off snow mountain in SW China
Oldest trapped miner rescued in Chile
All nine trapped in building collapse rescued
DPRK delegation visits China's northeast region
Stunning photos: Disappearing tropical forest in Indonesia
Health of 33 rescued miners in Chile in good evaluation
Sheepherder along Nyang Qu River in Xigaze
Central China dams release water to ease drought
9 rescued after 179 hrs in flooded mine
Vietnam sees China as opponent?
Iran's leader warns of insecurity in region
Danube river safe from red sludge spill in Hungary: official