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'Brighter skies in China by New Year'
Tue, Feb 05, 2008 The Straits Times
BEIJING - THE weather will turn better by the Chinese New Year, China's meteorological service said yesterday as transportation bottlenecks across the country began easing. The China Meteorological Administration forecast brighter weather ahead, though a new wave of snow, rain and sleet would likely hit today and tomorrow. 'The weather over the disaster-stricken regions is likely to turn better in the next several days, but it is still necessary to remain alert for possible low temperatures, frozen rain, snow and heavy fog,' said Mr Zheng Guoguang, the head of the administration. Chinese President Hu Jintao yesterday called on the public to remain confident in the battle against the severe weather, according to Xinhua news agency.

And Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told a group of foreign experts China was confident of getting back to normal soon, according to Xinhua.

'At present, electricity supply is gradually resuming and transport services are basically back to normal, and the country's production and life are in normal conditions,' Mr Wen said.

Road and railway traffic, which had been partly blocked for days, had started to move again, and fewer flights were being cancelled, state media said.

China's main north-south national highway, linking Beijing and the southern city of Zhuhai in Guangdong province, reopened yesterday.

The restoration of traffic along the highway should ease massive logjams that have stranded millions of travellers and triggered emergency plans to ensure deliveries of coal, water and food.

But officials warned of renewed congestion and the need to leave lanes open for emergency vehicles and trucks carrying supplies.

Rail service was also slowly returning to normal, although cold rain poured down on hundreds of thousands of travellers - mostly migrant workers - as they waited at the southern rail terminus of Guangzhou for trains to take them home for the Chinese New Year holidays.

Ice and snow storms that began on Jan 10 have caused power lines to snap and pylons to topple. Electric locomotives stopped on the tracks, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of trains. More than 60 people have been killed in accidents related to the bad weather.

The winter chaos has exposed China's unpreparedness and brought the country unwanted negative publicity six months before the Olympic Games in Beijing.

'The main problem is lack of preparedness,' said Mr Luo Shihong, a relief volunteer helping migrants in Guiyang, in the south-eastern province of Guizhou.

'By late January, both the government and people thought the sky would clear up in a couple of days and it would be over.

'The officials had a lot of confidence initially, then a day or two later, they discovered how unprepared they were mentally, physically and in terms of manpower.'

The crisis also highlighted the need for China to upgrade its power system. Its extensive reliance on coal and use of a high-tension grid spanning the country to transmit power has proven surprisingly vulnerable.

REUTERS, ASSOCIATED PRESS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW YORK TIMES