Yangtze Floods
In the last 2000 years the Yangtze River has flooded over 1000 times. In the summer of 1998 the river crested to its highest levels since 1954. The Chinese government reported 3004 deaths and 20 billion dollars worth of damages. As winter approached 14 million people remained homeless.
In the floods of 1954 there were ten times as many deaths. Many of the deaths were from water born diseases. In 1998 the government of China and aid organizations acted to stop the spread of pathogens. They did this by educating people in the flooded region about preventative measures such as boiling water. Much of the damage is said to be by bad land use in areas around the river. The Yangtze watershed used to be protected by forests. These had root systems that held on to topsoil during heavy rains. There has been a great amount of deforestation in recent years and the rains carried the topsoil down the river. This in turn raised the Yangtze's bottom and pushed floodwaters further over the banks.
There are also wetlands and lakes in Eastern China that have been drained to make more room for farming. They now can no longer absorb as much rainfall and provide a buffer for the yangtze. The Chinese government has now ordered logging bans and reforestation projects although hundreds and thousands of jobs depend on the timber industry. The government claims that Three Gorges dam will help to tame these future floods.
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Above - Floods of 2002 - Yangtze River |
Deforestation In China |