THIS year’s flood season in China has so far claimed 1,532 lives across the country, according to statistics released by the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs Wednesday. As of September, floods and water logging have affected a total of 190 million people to varying degrees, destroyed 1.053 million homes, damaged 2.695 million rooming houses, affected 13.15 million hectares of cropland and inflicted damage on a large number of infrastructure facilities. Local governments at various levels have displaced 2.445 million people as an emergency measure to safer and more secure places. Most of the damage was brought on by exceptionally heavy rains which resulted in torrential floods, landslides and mud-rock flows. Despite serious flooding in some regions and water levels of some sections of the Yangtze River rising above flood level, the country’s six major rivers, including the Yellow River, remain stable, the ministry source said. China’s Central Government has so far disbursed 4.1 billion yuan (about US$494 million) in relief funds as well as more than 16,000 tents to affected areas since June. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Affairs has dispatched more than 20 teams of officials and experts to inspect the flood situations in 13 provinces and autonomous regions. The ministry has coordinated with other central government ministries in its relief efforts and has received donations from home and abroad, including 18.93 million yuan (about US$2.28 million) in cash and 7.84 million yuan (about US$944,500) worth of goods collected by the Red Cross Society of China and the China Charity Society. (SD-Agencies)