Study Chinese - Yangtze River focus of biggest search and rescue exercise

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Yangtze River focus of biggest search and rescue exercise
By Huang Zhiling
Updated: 2007-09-24 07:02

Firefighting ships spray water on an oil ship on fire during the exercise
on Saturday. Rao Guojun
WANZHOU: The biggest search and rescue exercise along the Yangtze River
was held on Saturday in this port city in Southwest China's Chongqing
Municipality.

Organized by the Ministry of Communications and the Chongqing municipal
government, the 2007 Yangtze Three Gorges Reservoir Joint Search and
Rescue Maneuvre was aimed at testing and demonstrating the country's
emergency response capabilities along the Yangtze, the world's busiest
river in terms of cargo transportation, said officials from the Ministry
of Communications.

Involving 22 departments, the 90-minute exercise involved the rescue of
passengers in a boat collision, extinguishing a fire and clearing of an
oil leak as a result of the collision.

It also included the search and arrest of two terrorists and the removal
of explosives, and the evacuation of passengers and boats from a site
where a landslide was taking place.

More than 500 people 68 boats and a helicopter participated in the
exercise, Yuan Zongxiang, chief of the Yangtze River Maritime Bureau,
said.

Liu Dongcheng, deputy chief of the Maritime Bureau under the Ministry of
Communications, said the exercise witnessed the use of the world's most
advanced rescue equipment and the country's most advanced rescue boats.

As China's only waterway crossing the eastern, central and western parts
of the country, the Yangtze River transported 897 million tons of cargo
last year, maintaining its position as the world's largest river in terms
of cargo transportation, Liu said.

The government attaches great importance to the development of the
Yangtze River. During the 10th Five-Year Plan (2001-05), the country
invested more than 3 billion yuan ($400 million) to improve navigation in
the river during the dry season.

Wang Yang, Party chief of Chongqing, said the reason the exercise was
held in Wanzhou was that it is located in the center of the Three Gorges
dam area.

Since the Three Gorges Project started storing water in 2003, the
reservoir area has witnessed improvement in navigation conditions and an
increase in the number of boats.

There are 80,000 boats that ply the Yangtze. In the Three Gorges
reservoir area alone, there are 50,000 boats with more than 300,000
boatmen.

"If an incident takes place, it could result in heavy loss of life and
property," Yuan told China Daily.

Before the Three Gorges started storing water, the Yangtze River in the
reservoir area was narrow, and the water flow swift and dangerous.

(China Daily 09/24/2007 page3)

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