Shandong braces for big freeze flooding
By Xie Chuanjiao (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-01-17 21:30

Fears of ice floods have prompted authorities in Shandong Province to gear up preventive measures as the majestic Yellow River freezes over in the province.

A floating bridge on the Yellow River at its Likou section in East China's Shandong Province is demolished as the ice run approaches the lower reaches of the river. Twenty-five of more than 40 floating bridges in Shandong have been so far torn down to ensure the ice run empties smoothly into the sea. [newsphoto]

Recent low temperatures have led to a heavy build-up of ice along 233 kilometres of 60 sections of the Yellow River in the East China province,sources from the Shandong Yellow River Anti-Flood Office said.

The length accounts for more than a third of the 628-kilometre section of the river in Shandong, the last province the rivers follows through before it runs into the sea. All rivers in Shandong are now frozen, with most ice 5 up to 30 centimetres thick.

At Dongying, the lowest reach of the river, the water was 70 per cent ice Monday.

Sources with the provincial weather department say the temperatures are unlikely to fall under more than 10 degrees below zero.

"Everything is under control now, continuous cold weather will thicken the ice layer and freeze up more sections. But everything is safe as far as we know, and serious floods are unlikely to occur," said Liu Hongcai, an official with the anti-flood office.

The critical moment will be when the thaw begins in spring, especially when the temperature rises and ice thaws from the upper reaches while the river courses of the lower reaches are still frozen. Water will rush down and there is a possibility of an ice dam forming, cutting off water flow and eventually leading to flooding.

Sources with the office say the province has mobilized more than 450,000 people to tackle possible ice flooding.

They have checked and repaired all preventive facilities and have been trained in dealing with ice floods. Explosives have been prepared in case ice needs to be smashed in an emergency.

The Yellow River, China's second largest river, originates in Qinghai Province. It then flows through Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan, before passing through Shandong and entering the Bohai Sea.

The river passes through six cities in Shandong -- Liaocheng, Dezhou, Jinan, Binzhou, Zibo and Dongying. These are the major cities that have to brace themselves for potential ice flooding each year.

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