Society
Dramatic climate shifts due to global warming
Updated: 2011-06-10 15:07
By Wang Qingyun (chinadaily.com.cn)
Chen Zhenghong, senior engineer at the Meteorological Bureau of Central China's Hubei province, said the sharp shift between drought and flood in East and Central China was a result of global warming, Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday.
|
There are more than 40,000 reservoirs on the Yangtze River and its branches, and more than 2,400 hydropower-stations built or under construction. The rare and extreme climate transition underlines the lack of coordination among the facilities managed by various authorities, which hinders effective water flow to relieve droughts and floods.
What's more, facilities in need of maintenance further weaken its ability to handle disasters. "More than 70 percent of the county's small reservoirs are in disrepair," said Liu Daorong, deputy head of water resources bureau of Yangxin county, Hubei province. "They can't discharge enough water to relieve droughts, nor can they help relieve floods, for they are not allowed to restore water to full capacity."
Specials
Wealth of difference
Rich coastal areas offer contrasting ways of dealing with country's development
Seal of approval
The dying tradition of seal engraving has now become a UNIVERSITY major
Making perfect horse sense
Riding horses to work may be the clean, green answer to frustrated car owners in traffic-trapped cities