Zhang Zhiliang, a local flood and drought official, said more than 40 cases of flooding have occurred region wide since June 1, causing severe human and property losses.

Zhang said flooding occurred because the flow of water in local rivers and lakes increased rapidly since June 1, coupled with melting snow in some places, landslides, mud-and-rock flows caused by downpours.

Flooding in the Ili River valley killed 27 people on June 5 alone.

The floods caused 84 separate cases of landslides and mud-and-rock flows.

Frequent flooding, landslides and mud-and-rock flows in Xinjiang were caused by the unprecedented rainfall in most parts of the region, and the destruction of vegetation on mountainous areas.

Local meteorological departments are forecasting heavy rainfall in some areas, which may hamper efforts to combat floods and carry out relief work.

Direct economic toll from the floods on China's mainland in 2002 were estimated at 83.8 billion yuan (US$10.05 billion), according to the latest report by the Ministry of Resources.

At least 152 million people suffered from floods, which also triggered landslides, in the past year, the ministry said. The provinces of Hunan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Yunnan and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Shaanxi Province were the most severely hit regions.

Farmlands affected by floods exceeded 12.6 million hectares, with 7.5 million hectares damaged.

By the end of 2002, the nation had built 85,000 reservoirs.

(Xinhua News Agency June 18, 2003)