Water level at lake recedes; evacuees begin returning home
( 2003-07-19 10:51) (Xinhua)
Evacuees from the Hongze Lake region in Jiangsu Province, east China, have
begun a phased return to their homes as the water level of the lake gradually
recedes, the provincial flood control headquarters said Friday.
As the water level at the Jiangba hydrological station at Hongze Lake was
14.25 meters at 2 p.m. Friday, 0.75 meters above the warning level, the
headquarters called on authorities concerned to ensure the safety of returning
evacuees.
A total of 15.2 billion cubic meters of water has been divertedfrom Hongze
Lake since the start of the flood season. The lake is the country's fourth
largest freshwater lake and is located on thelower reaches of the flooding
Huaihe River.
The water level of the lake is expected to remain high, and further flood
control work in the Huaihe River will be necessary in the coming weeks.
By 8 a.m. Friday, the water volume flow of the Yangtze River measured 58,200
cubic meters per second, a new record.
Meanwhile, the water level in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province, is
currently 9.23 meters, 0.73 meters above the warning level, while that of Lake
Taihu, also in Jiangsu, remains at 3.33 meters, 0.17 meters below the warning
standard.
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