Banks Of Yangtze River At Substantial Risk Of Collapse - AP

[hatrack]

BEIJING -- The banks of China's massive Yangtze river, a lifeline for tens of millions of people, are at risk of collapse, a state-run newspaper reported Monday. The China Daily said a recent inspection showed that banks on portions of the river were in danger. "Such a collapse would be disastrous if it happened during the flood season," Luo Huilin, deputy secretary-general of the Jingzhou city government in central China's Hubei province, was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

The Yangtze is 3,860 miles (6,200 kilometers) long and runs from the Tibetan plateau to the sea near Shanghai, passing through some of China's major cities, such as Chongqing and Nanjing.

Inspectors with the office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said the natural river banks along some sections of the Jingjiang River, part of the Yangtze, could be at risk of collapse. Luo said collapses had been occurring along the Jingjiang with increasing frequency in recent years. The latest was in Shishou on March 22, when a section 30 meters (33 yards) long and eight meters (nine yards) wide crumbled.

According to the China Meteorological Administration, a major flood is likely to hit the Yangtze this summer because of heavy rains and typhoons along its middle and lower reaches.

EDIT

http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=12760