Increased rainfall, more frequent human activities, coupled with locals' low awareness toward disaster prevention, are attributed for a drastic rise in natural disasters across China this year.

Latest statistics provided by the Ministry of Land and Resources on Wednesday show that by late July, more than 500 geological disasters occurred in China, such as landslides and rock-and-mud flows, took place across the country, leaving 300 people dead. The direct economic losses were placed at 150 million yuan (about US$18.07 million).

According to Jiang Jianjun, director of the geology and environment division under the ministry, there was more rainfall this year than previous years and most of the geological disasters happened in April.

The situation was most serious in such provinces and autonomous regions as Sichuan, Guangdong, Hunan, Guizhou and Gansu provinces and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where mountainous or hilly areas make up a relatively larger proportion of territory.

In outlying rigid mountainous or hilly areas, there are numerous gullies and drastic changes in the terrain, which are all prone to geological adversities when it rains heavily and incessantly, said Jiang.

(Xinhua News Agency July 31, 2003)