Securing embankments a must for lasting relief from flooding

The ongoing flood situation in the Dongting Lake area in Hunan province is concerning, and the top authorities have required relevant officials to go to the frontline and the most affected areas for strengthening on-site manpower and material management to ensure the flood control and relief work is carried out in an orderly manner.

According to a news conference by the province's flood relief authorities held in Huarong county, where a dike on the Dongting Lake has breached, the 7,680 people who needed to be evacuated from Tuanzhou township have all been safely settled. The local government is making an all-out effort to repair the breach in the dike.

Satellite images of Huarong and the surrounding areas attest to the severity of the flood. Those affected by the flooding were safely evacuated thanks to careful organization and efficient action by governments at all levels, the army, all sectors of society, as well as people's self-help and mutual-assistance groups.

The dike breach has caused massive flooding, requiring flood control and relief measures to be implemented to the letter. All people involved should work with one goal in mind, to effectively and orderly carry out flood fighting, to minimize disaster losses and prevent secondary disasters.

All civil servants should go to the places where they are needed the most so that they can better detect the problems, judge the flood situation, and organize rescue and relief work. Only by going to the front line can they feel the pain of the people who have lost their homes, and perceive the urgency of scientific flood control.

While all efforts should be made to plug the dike breach, which is an arduous task, more efforts are needed to fortify the embankment between Tuanzhou and neighboring Qiannan. The dike breach should serve as a lesson for all to prepare for emergency response in the future.

The Dongting Lake area has not seen flooding in 28 years, thanks to many embankments being built. However, now those embankments have earthworm or rat holes and could collapse under the impact of floodwaters. While people's attention is focused on plugging the dike breach, we must not neglect the inspection of the embankments and fix any weakened parts. Only by being on high alert, can we ensure the safety of all the embankments.