POYANG, June 22, 2016 (Xinhua) -- An excavator fills up a breach at Xiangyang dyke in Poyang County, east China's Jiangxi Province, June 22, 2016. About 500 armed police started to mend a 100-meter gap in the river defenses on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Zhou Mi)
NANCHANG, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Repair work on a breached dike in Poyang County in east China's Jiangxi Province started Wednesday afternoon.
After days of heavy rain across the region, a river in Guxiandu Township, Poyang County, breached its banks Monday evening.
About 13,000 people have been relocated to safer places and more than 10,000 mu (667 hectares) of farmland was inundated. Around 500 police were mending a 64-meter gap in the river defense. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 2,000 people were involved in the project.
"I hope the police can help us block the gap as soon as possible so that we can go back to our normal lives," said Zhu Yuwen, an official from Guxiandu Township.
Chen Meizhi, from Jianyang Village, said her 20 mu plot had been damaged by the flood. "If they can mend the breach quickly, we still have time to plant late rice and harvest it in the second half of the year, which is our only hope," Chen said.
The repair project, however, has been fraught with difficulties, the access road to the dike is too narrow for heavy vehicles, and two bridges near the site are unsafe, which stalled the transportation of materials to block the breached bank, according to the police.
The rescue work is expected to be finished before Sunday, the police said.
