Vice premier urges efforts to safeguard lives and property of people impacted by floods

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese vice premier Zhang Guoqing arrived in Beijing's Miyun District on Monday evening to visit and console residents displaced by torrential rains, and to oversee on-site flood control and relief efforts.

Zhang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, visited hospitals, temporary shelters and the Miyun Reservoir, entrusted with the task by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

He conveyed Xi's concerns and learned about search-and-rescue operations, medical care, evacuations and flood-mitigation engineering work in detail.

Noting that the country is now at a critical stage in its flood control, Zhang called for the comprehensive assessment of uncertainties in upstream inflows, reservoir safety and downstream water outflow.

Water discharge and diversion schedules should be calibrated with scientific precision to minimize losses, he said.

Zhang called for improvements to monitoring and early-warning systems, and for evacuations to be initiated early and decisively. Vulnerable groups such as the elderly and people with impaired mobility should be prioritized to ensure every person is relocated safely.

All-out disaster relief and rescue operations are underway in Beijing, as the latest intense rainstorms have left 30 people dead in the Chinese capital as of midnight on Monday, damaging roads, disrupting the power supply and prompting mass evacuations in affected areas. ■