NANCHANG - Holding a smartphone in his hand, He Xuehao, director of the flood control office in Anqing City, China's Anhui Province, knows everything about the city's real-time precipitation and hydrologic conditions.Anqing is situated in the lower reaches of the Yangtze, China's longest river. Every summer, flood season arrives just in time to worry flood control officials like He.In the summer of 1998, China's Yangtze River flooded, causing more than 1,000 deaths.Determining rising water levels is one of the biggest challenges for the flood control office.He still remembers that 20 years ago, when he was 16 years old, he had to patrol dikes every two hours, with a bamboo pole, a flashlight, and an umbrella, for days on end."I had to row a boat and even swim to the mid-stream to measure water levels. It was troublesome and extremely dangerous," he said.Thanks to the advancement of technology in flood control, officials like He no longer have to risk their lives to measure water levels."The automatic observation and flood prediction system achieves full coverage of the Yangtze -- the mainstream, primary tributaries, large reservoirs, key medium reservoirs and lakes along the river," He said.In Anqing alone, more than 600 stations measure and report rainfall automatically, and 210 water level gauging stations provide precise and timely monitoring data, which helps officials form and implement emergency plans.In addition, a series of flood control equipment has been put into use. In 2016, a collapsible mobile "water plugging wall" with a waterproof canvas bag at its core was used to fill dike breaches in Anqing. In just 10 minutes, the "wall" can swell up to six meters, serving as a water barrier."China has comprehensively strengthened its flood resistance ability in the past 20 years," He said.In 2010, flood control headquarters in neighboring Jiangxi Province used satellite remote sensing to evaluate flood situations and dispatch rescue teams to the worst-hit areas. Two years later, drones were used to monitor water levels.This year, the province purchased five units of drainage equipment that can adapt to different environments such as cities and farmland. Seven remote-control rescue robots also came into service in Jiangxi. Shaped like lifeboats, these robots can evacuate three to four people stranded by the flood and deliver relief supplies."We have set up a compete flood prevention communication system, which can automatically send warning messages to residents once it detects a potential risk of flood," said Wang Bin, secretary general of Huaihe River Flood Control Headquarters. "Technology improves prediction accuracy, increases rescue efficiency, and reduces losses caused by flooding."Huaihe is another flood-prone river that originates from central China's Henan Province.With the advanced flood observation system and the introduction of cutting-edge equipment, floods are no longer as life-threatening as they were before, He added. silicone bandsfuck cancer braceletevent wristbands
China looks forward to working with other members to achieve three goals at the summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization: making the SCO more cohesive, more effective and more influential, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday.Shanghai Cooperation Organization was born in China and the Qingdao Summit will be the first one after the SCO admitted new members. The nation welcomes the SCO back to China and expects it to embark on a new journey in Qingdao, said Wang at a press conference for the first session of the 13th National People's Congress.China aims to make the SCO more cohesive. The Shanghai spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit and equal-footed consultation encapsulates the founding principle of the organization. China will work with other members to uphold this spirit to enhance trust and solidarity and build a more close-knit SCO community of a shared future, he noted.Wang said the country also aims to make the SCO more effective. The SCO is driven by the result-oriented, efficient and mutually beneficial cooperation.China will work with other members to promote its development including developing a five-year outline for the implementation of the treaty on long-term good neighborliness, friendship and cooperation, concluding or ratifying a number of resolutions or documents concerning security, economic, environmental and cultural cooperation, and advancing Belt and Road projects in SCO member states, the minister said.By making the SCO more influential, the organization has the duty to maintain peace and stability in our region and beyond, he said, adding that China will work with other members to help the SCO meet international expectations and take a clearer stand on major international and regional issues, and play a more active role in regional cooperation and global economic governance.China will make the Qingdao Summit a new milestone in the history of the SCO and push this new type of regional organization into a new era, Wang said.
