Yangtze watershed suffers 69.5 bln yuan in losses

Wuhan (CNS) -- Frequent and abnormal phases of drought and flooding in the Yangtze River watershed last year caused total economic losses of 69.5 billion yuan (US$10.97 billion), according to the Yangtze River Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Wednesday.

Before the wet season, serious drought had struck the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze, but abnormal flooding attacked other tributaries in June. In the following two months, water levels dropped to historically low levels, parching five southwestern provinces, yet September saw several historic floods in the Jialing and Hanjiang rivers, said Cai Qihua, an official at the headquarters.

Some 55.78 million residents were affected during the wet season, with 271 deaths and 102 missing. Prompt and effective measures helped reduced casualties and economic losses, commented Cai.