China spends on flood control repairs

BEIJING - As much as 507 million yuan ($82 million) will be spent on water projects damaged by recent floods, China's Ministry of Finance announced Tuesday.

The funds will be used to repair dams, locks, barrages, weirs and pumping stations damaged in heavy downpours in some regions in the south.

Flooding has threatened or damaged 61 small reservoirs in nine regions this year including the provinces of Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi and Fujian as well as Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with combined losses estimated at 3.58 billion yuan, according to the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

As of Tuesday, some 9.93 million people in those regions were affected by flooding, with 64 people dead and another six still missing.