【英语中国】中国官方称三峡大坝缓和洪水灾情

Chinese officials said the Three Gorges Dam was effectively softening the blow from the worst floods in years, even as they reported that more than 700 people have died after weeks of torrential rains-- the highest toll from flooding in 12 years.

'Although water levels in the upper stretches of the Yangtze River have surpassed that of 1998, the flood situation is still not severe because the Three Gorges Dam has played a key role in preventing floods along the river this year,' Liu Ning, general secretary of the government's flood-prevention agency, said at a news conference.

Flood control was one of the primary reasons for building the Three Gorges Dam. More than a million people were relocated to construct the world's largest dam, which has been fully operational since last year. Critics say the dam doesn't address the problems of soil erosion, deforestation and the loss of wetlands, all of which exacerbate flooding downstream.

So far this year, flooding across much of China has killed 701 people and left 347 missing, officials from the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Wednesday. Damage has totaled $21 billion, including the destruction of 645,000 houses and millions of acres of farmland, and has forced eight million people to be evacuated. Flooding risks are greatest with small and midsize rivers, the State Council said in a meeting presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Mr. Liu said officials expect six to eight more typhoons this year, bringing more rain and problems.

Some 287,000 soldiers have been called into flood-prevention work. Meteorologists warn that tropical storm Chanthu is expected to hit southern China as soon as Thursday.

中国官方表示，三峡大坝有效地缓和了数十年来最严重的洪水，与此同时他们也报告说，数周强降雨后已导致逾700人死亡，这是12年来因洪水而导致死亡的最高人数。

国家防汛抗旱总指挥部秘书长刘宁在新闻发布会上说，尽管长江上游水位超过了1998年，但洪水情况还不严重，因为今年三峡大坝起到了调蓄作用。

控制洪水是建设三峡大坝的主要原因之一，为了建设世界上最大的大坝，逾100万人被移民进行重新安置，三峡大坝去年以来投入完全运营。批评人士说，三峡大坝没有解决土壤侵蚀、森林砍伐和湿地减少的问题，所有这些使长江下游洪灾恶化。

民政部周三公布，今年迄今中国多数省份遭遇洪灾，导致701人死亡、347人失踪。损失共计210亿美元，其中包括645,000所房屋倒塌及数百万亩农田被淹，800万人被迫撤离。新华社报导，中国国务院在总理温家宝主持的一次会议上表示，中小河流的洪灾风险最大。

刘宁表示，官方预计，今年还有六到八次台风，将带来更多降雨和问题。

约287,000名解放军官兵参加了抗洪抢险工作。气象局警告说，预计台风“灿都”最早将于周四袭击中国南方。