Society

Floods cut tap water supply in NE China city

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-08-02 23:15

Local officials said more than 20 villagers were killed by the burst reservoir flood. In Huadian, a total of 46 people were dead or missing as of Sunday night, according to official statistics.

About 23 bridges in Antu collapsed or had been rendered dangerous by the floods.

Towns were isolated for days as transport links had been severed. Rescuers on Monday struggled for hours to get around mountains to reach the hard-hit town of Liangjiang of Antu.

But authorities said the worst might not be over as heavy rains are forecast to pound the flooded areas from late Tuesday to Friday, with the heaviest rainfall expected to reach 120 millimeters.

As of Monday morning, 10 out of 18 large reservoirs in the province had opened their sluices, releasing pressure that could lead to further breaches.

Authorities warned of landslides and mud flows in the southern part of the province where the soil was saturated from rain water.

In Dandong city, neighboring Liaoning province, the rains have disrupted water supplies to more than 12,000 households.

The torrential rain made the Yalu River, the main water source for Dandong, too turbid for the water plant to purify. The city was about 60,000 tonnes short of its daily demand.

The authorities have cut supplies temporarily and arranged water deliveries by fire trucks.

Also in Liaoning, 72,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Fushun city. Villager Zhang Jiang, 45, said his home was flooded early Saturday and all the family appliances were destroyed.