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Nation's coal reserves can sustain power plants for only six days, watchdog warns
Jane Cai and He Huifeng Feb 01, 2008
The number of people affected by the national crisis triggered by unprecedented bad weather was close to 100 million, according to figures provided by Xinhua.Many power plants have run out of coal stocks. The China Electricity Regulatory Commission said coal reserves could maintain operation of power plants for only six more days." name=artAbstract>
The number of people affected by the national crisis triggered by unprecedented bad weather was close to 100 million, according to figures provided by Xinhua.Many power plants have run out of coal stocks. The China Electricity Regulatory Commission said coal reserves could maintain operation of power plants for only six more days. The emergency was highlighted when President Hu Jintao made an unscheduled visit to a coal pit in Shanxi in an attempt to bolster miners' morale and raise production. His visit came days after Premier Wen Jiabao visited Hunan and Guangdong in a move to stabilise the situation. Authorities were last night racing against time as thousands of desperate passengers swamped the railway station in Guangzhou. With more workers expected to attempt to travel home for the Lunar New Year.
The mainland's weather crisis appeared to have reached a critical point last night as the government battled another round of snowfalls, blizzards and power failures.
The number of people affected by the national crisis triggered by unprecedented bad weather was close to 100 million, according to figures provided by Xinhua.
Many power plants have run out of coal stocks. The China Electricity Regulatory Commission said coal reserves could maintain operation of power plants for only six more days.
The emergency was highlighted when President Hu Jintao made an unscheduled visit to a coal pit in Shanxi in an attempt to bolster miners' morale and raise production. His visit came days after Premier Wen Jiabao visited Hunan and Guangdong in a move to stabilise the situation.
Authorities were last night racing against time as thousands of desperate passengers swamped the railway station in Guangzhou . With more workers expected to attempt to travel home for the Lunar New Year in the next few days, and forecasts of more bad weather, the government was counting on quick resumption of rail services to move as many as 400,000 passengers a day from the city.
Several people were injured in a scuffle under a flyover near Guangzhou station. There were widespread rumours last night that a person had been killed and several more injured in a stampede between 5pm and 6pm under the flyover. A government source last night confirmed there had been a stampede and several people had been injured but denied there had been a fatality.
Travellers waiting in the area described the situation as chaotic, with crowds pushing and shoving when police opened the gates every three hours to admit people to the station.
About 190,000 travellers were still in the area last night, in spite of being told to go home by police.
Since January 10, the worst snowstorms in 50 years for many of the 18 provinces affected have killed at least 46 people and brought economic losses of about 43 billion yuan. They have destroyed or damaged more than 750,000 homes, caused blackouts and damaged 8.3 million hectares of farmland, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.
Traffic was still stalled on the Beijing -Zhuhai highway in the southern province of Hunan , while in Chenzhou , Hunan, vehicles formed queues 80km long, while water and supplies were cut for the seventh day.
In Guizhou , power supplies resumed in the capital city Guiyang , but people elsewhere were still without electricity. In Guangxi , blackouts hit Guilin , while in Beijing candles were being supplied to people in need, CCTV reported.
Part of the Beijing-Guangzhou rail service resumed after diesel engines were mobilised to haul paralysed electric trains.
A total of 400,000 people were already heading home for the holiday, the Ministry of Railways said. A railway official said he was confident an estimated 2 million passengers in Guangzhou, mainly migrant workers, could be reunited with their families on time. "In the next five days, if we handle 400,000 passengers daily, we can send them home before the eve of the festival [on Wednesday]."
The China Meteorological Administration forecasts fresh snowfall, sleet and freezing weather to hit the southern provinces of Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei, Anhui , Jiangsu, Jiangxi , Zhejiang and Guangdong from today.
Jane Cai and He Huifeng Feb 01, 2008
The number of people affected by the national crisis triggered by unprecedented bad weather was close to 100 million, according to figures provided by Xinhua.Many power plants have run out of coal stocks. The China Electricity Regulatory Commission said coal reserves could maintain operation of power plants for only six more days." name=artAbstract>
The number of people affected by the national crisis triggered by unprecedented bad weather was close to 100 million, according to figures provided by Xinhua.Many power plants have run out of coal stocks. The China Electricity Regulatory Commission said coal reserves could maintain operation of power plants for only six more days. The emergency was highlighted when President Hu Jintao made an unscheduled visit to a coal pit in Shanxi in an attempt to bolster miners' morale and raise production. His visit came days after Premier Wen Jiabao visited Hunan and Guangdong in a move to stabilise the situation. Authorities were last night racing against time as thousands of desperate passengers swamped the railway station in Guangzhou. With more workers expected to attempt to travel home for the Lunar New Year.
The mainland's weather crisis appeared to have reached a critical point last night as the government battled another round of snowfalls, blizzards and power failures.
The number of people affected by the national crisis triggered by unprecedented bad weather was close to 100 million, according to figures provided by Xinhua.
Many power plants have run out of coal stocks. The China Electricity Regulatory Commission said coal reserves could maintain operation of power plants for only six more days.
The emergency was highlighted when President Hu Jintao made an unscheduled visit to a coal pit in Shanxi in an attempt to bolster miners' morale and raise production. His visit came days after Premier Wen Jiabao visited Hunan and Guangdong in a move to stabilise the situation.
Authorities were last night racing against time as thousands of desperate passengers swamped the railway station in Guangzhou . With more workers expected to attempt to travel home for the Lunar New Year in the next few days, and forecasts of more bad weather, the government was counting on quick resumption of rail services to move as many as 400,000 passengers a day from the city.
Several people were injured in a scuffle under a flyover near Guangzhou station. There were widespread rumours last night that a person had been killed and several more injured in a stampede between 5pm and 6pm under the flyover. A government source last night confirmed there had been a stampede and several people had been injured but denied there had been a fatality.
Travellers waiting in the area described the situation as chaotic, with crowds pushing and shoving when police opened the gates every three hours to admit people to the station.
About 190,000 travellers were still in the area last night, in spite of being told to go home by police.
Since January 10, the worst snowstorms in 50 years for many of the 18 provinces affected have killed at least 46 people and brought economic losses of about 43 billion yuan. They have destroyed or damaged more than 750,000 homes, caused blackouts and damaged 8.3 million hectares of farmland, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.
Traffic was still stalled on the Beijing -Zhuhai highway in the southern province of Hunan , while in Chenzhou , Hunan, vehicles formed queues 80km long, while water and supplies were cut for the seventh day.
In Guizhou , power supplies resumed in the capital city Guiyang , but people elsewhere were still without electricity. In Guangxi , blackouts hit Guilin , while in Beijing candles were being supplied to people in need, CCTV reported.
Part of the Beijing-Guangzhou rail service resumed after diesel engines were mobilised to haul paralysed electric trains.
A total of 400,000 people were already heading home for the holiday, the Ministry of Railways said. A railway official said he was confident an estimated 2 million passengers in Guangzhou, mainly migrant workers, could be reunited with their families on time. "In the next five days, if we handle 400,000 passengers daily, we can send them home before the eve of the festival [on Wednesday]."
The China Meteorological Administration forecasts fresh snowfall, sleet and freezing weather to hit the southern provinces of Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei, Anhui , Jiangsu, Jiangxi , Zhejiang and Guangdong from today.
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