CNN
December 13, 2005

Authorities in China are stepping up a massive anti-flood effort, mobilizing tens of thousands of people to shore up the nation’s second biggest freshwater lake which threatens to burst its banks and create a disaster worse than the deadly floods of 1998.

BEIJING, China — Authorities in China are stepping up a massive anti-flood effort, mobilizing tens of thousands of people to shore up the nation’s second biggest freshwater lake which threatens to burst its banks and create a disaster worse than the deadly floods of 1998. More than 80,000 people, including 6,000 soldiers, have been working around the clock to reinforce levees and dikes surrounding the 2,800 square-kilometer (1,070 square-mile) Dongting lake in the central province of Hunan. Around 10 million people as well as 667,000 hectares (1.6 million acres) of fertile farmland are at risk should the lake spill over. A state of emergency was declared in Hunan on Wednesday after rising floodwaters pushed the Dongting almost two meters above its 32-meter flood warning mark. Officials have warned that water levels could match those of 1998 when severe flooding killed 4,000 people and caused widespread damage and economic damage. The Dongting, which acts as an overflow to the flood-prone Yangtze River, hit a historical high of 35. 9 meters. There have been no reports of deaths from the current flooding around the Dongting, but more than 900 have been killed in flooding since China’s monsoon season began three months ago. Evacuations Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from areas close to the lake while emergency officials have said as many as 130 dikes and levees around the beach line are in danger of breaching. Heavy rain in the area has subsided, allowing emergency workers, soldiers and volunteers to buttress the embankments with sandbags and organize further evacuations.