China allocates 346 mln yuan in natural disaster relief funds

BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities have earmarked 346 million yuan (about 48.63 million U.S. dollars) in disaster relief funds to assist flood control and drought relief efforts for a broad swath of the country.

Some 213 million yuan will be used to support flood control and relief work in the provincial-level regions of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi and Guizhou, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday.

Provincial-level regions of Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shandong and Henan will receive 69 million yuan for drought relief work such as ensuring water supply for rural and urban residents.

Fujian and Guangdong provinces will receive 64 million yuan for geological disaster relief work, according to the statement.

The Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration on Wednesday issued an orange alert for potential mountain torrents in Guizhou and Qinghai. Localities have been advised to take preventive measures such as real-time monitoring, issuing flood prevention warnings, and undertaking relocation to ensure the safety of local residents.

China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.