Aid package for flood-hit Anhui folk (GUO NEI, China Daily staff) 07/08/2003 People in flood-stricken East China's Anhui Province will benefit from a 78 million yuan (US$9.4 million) aid package announced yesterday by the Ministry of Finance. Meanwhile, Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu, who inspected the anti-flood campaign in Anhui on Sunday urged the local governments have been urged to guarantee food, accommodation and medical services for people affected by the floods. From the beginning of this year, the central government has spent a total of 801 million yuan (US$96.5 million) to support nationwide efforts fighting floods and droughts. A seventh dyke on the rain-swollen Huaihe River was blown up yesterday to divert flood waters and protect the industrial city of Bengbu in northern Anhui. The demolition yesterday morning drained some of the river's waters into a diversion area from which 11,130 villagers had been evacuated, said Wang Qiang, spokesman for the Anti-Flood Command Headquarters for Anhui Province. The Huaihe River was 1.23 metres above its danger level on Sunday evening and was 35 centimetres above its past record high. Anhui and Jiangsu, another province in East China, have become the main victims of the Huaihe River which began to see continuous rainfall from late June. A total of 378,900 people have been moved out of the areas that were flooded in order to lower the river level, Wang said. Among the evacuated, 275,500 have sought shelter with relatives and friends, 57,600 are living in State housing, 25,100 in tents, and 20,077 in temporary shelters, according to the provincial civil affairs department. The Huaihe River has 15 more flood diversion areas that can be used if the flooding danger worsens, Wang said. (HK Edition 07/08/2003 page1)
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