Xi chairs meeting on flood control, drought relief

BEIJING -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Tuesday chaired a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee to study and arrange work related to flood control and drought relief.

China is expected to see more extreme weather and climate events than usual in its main flood season this year, with droughts and floods occurring at the same time, according to the meeting. It urged all regions and relevant departments to take solid measures to ensure effective flood control, drought relief, emergency response and disaster mitigation.

Stressing that protecting people's lives remains the top priority, the meeting called for measures to strengthen flood control on major rivers and lakes, and highlighted the need to attach great importance to the risk of drought-flood abrupt alternation, and strengthen the unified management and dispatching of water sources.

It also underscored the need to ensure the safety of key infrastructure and ongoing construction projects during the flood season, and to step up protection of agricultural infrastructure.

Emergency rescue and disaster relief must be swift and efficient, and preparations of emergency response forces, equipment and supplies must be stepped up, the meeting noted, calling for efforts to strengthen grassroots capacity for flood prevention, mitigation and relief.

Officials at all levels must firmly establish and practice a correct understanding of what it means to perform well, according to the meeting. Grassroots Party organizations, Party members and officials must strive to effectively protect people's lives and property and uphold overall social stability, it said.