China News Agency, Beijing, April 8th (Reporter Chen Su) The reporter learned from the Ministry of Emergency Management of China on the 8th that in the first quarter of 2021, 4.088 million people were affected by various natural disasters in China and 17 people died as a result of the disaster.
Recently, the Ministry of Emergency Management, in conjunction with relevant departments, discussed and approved the situation of natural disasters in the first quarter of 2021.
In the first quarter, China’s natural disasters were generally mild. Various natural disasters caused 4.088 million disasters, 17 people died as a result, more than 400 houses collapsed, crops affected an area of 249 thousand hectares, and a direct economic loss of 4.21 billion yuan (RMB, Same below).
Compared with the average of the same period in the past five years, the number of people affected by the disaster, the number of dead and missing due to the disaster, the number of collapsed houses, and the direct economic loss decreased by 43%, 72%, 83%, and 59%, respectively.
In terms of drought conditions, from the end of 2020 to the beginning of February this year, the rainfall in Jiangnan, most of southern China, and southern southwestern China was 40% to 70% less than that of the same period in normal years. The inflow of water from major rivers in Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong was significantly less. The shortage of urban and rural water supply and agricultural drought occurred.
Since February, there have been two heavy rainfall processes in the southern region, and the drought has eased in most areas, but there has been no effective rainfall in some parts of Yunnan.
In the first quarter, a total of 1.946 million people were affected by drought disasters, 574,000 people were needed for living assistance due to drought, 10.11,000 hectares of crops were affected, and direct economic losses were 810 million yuan.
At present, drought continues in some parts of Yunnan. As of the end of March, 977,000 people in 51 counties (cities, districts) in 13 cities (prefectures) of Yunnan were affected.
According to preliminary statistics, a total of 389 forest fires occurred nationwide in the first quarter, concentrated in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Yunnan and other provinces. The affected forest area was about 1,916 hectares and 9 people died as a result of forest fires.
Compared with 2020, the number of forest fires has decreased by 15.4%, and the number of deaths due to disasters has decreased by 65.4%.
In terms of earthquakes, in the first quarter, there were 22 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or higher in mainland China. Among them, 12 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or higher occurred in March, accounting for about 55% of the first quarter, a year-on-year increase of 33% and a month-on-month increase of 140%.
For example, the magnitude 6.1 earthquake in Tibet on March 19 was the highest earthquake in mainland China this year. On March 24, the magnitude 5.4 earthquake in Baicheng, Xinjiang killed 3 people, relocated more than 1,600 people, and damaged more than 140 houses to varying degrees.
In the first quarter, there were 6 sand-dust weather processes in mainland China, and the number of sand-dust weather events was the highest in the same period in the past 10 years. Among them, from March 14th to 16th, the strongest sand and dust weather process in the past 10 years occurred in Northwest China and North China. Sandstorm disasters in Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Ningxia and Xinjiang have caused damage to vegetable sheds, livestock sheds and houses in some areas, with a direct economic loss of more than 30 million yuan. (Finish)