China seals dike breach at its second-largest freshwater lake

Rescue personnel successfully sealed a 226-meter breach in a dike at China's second-largest freshwater lake on Monday, according to local authorities.

At 22:31, the final truckload of rocks was dumped into the breach in a dike at Dongting Lake in the city of Yueyang, central China’s Hunan Province, amidst the cheers of the rescue personnel.

Thousands of rescuers, including firefighters, hydrologists, volunteers, and police, joined hands to protect lives and property during the sealing process.

Upon receiving reports of the dike breach, rescue teams from various sectors quickly assembled. On Friday night, the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration organized the shipment of 5,000 family emergency kits to Hunan to support the relocation and resettlement of residents affected by the flooding.

At 13:00 on Saturday, efforts to seal the breach commenced. A strategy was devised to first stabilize the edges of the breach to prevent further expansion.

The plan also included widening the unloading platform to ensure smooth material delivery and implementing measures such as alternating shifts and continuous machine operation to maintain high-intensity sealing efforts.

As of 14:00 on Sunday, a total of 4,739 professional rescue personnel, 469 vehicles, 318 items of equipment, 144 large equipment and 170 boats had been deployed to the breach site.

"After sealing the breach, we need to take steps to prevent the water from seeping out of the foundation and drain the water away from the cofferdam. With an estimated 200 million cubic meters of water in the flood storage embankment, this will take some additional time to manage," said Li Heng, a leader in the expert team of the Ministry of Water Resources.

"We maintained round-the-clock monitoring along the breach to ensure the safety of surrounding areas during the sealing process. Even though the breach is now sealed, the embankments still need complete reinforcement. Therefore, our rescue team will continue patrolling and monitoring for potential risks along the embankments," said He Jian, political instructor at the Special Service Brigade of Yueyang Fire and Rescue Badge.

The breach at Dongting Lake was caused by floodwaters from torrential rain, with more than 7,000 residents evacuated since the dike burst on Friday afternoon.

Prior to the breach, Hunan Province experienced 17 consecutive days of heavy rainfall, the longest period of regional heavy rain since 1961.

China seals dike breach at its second-largest freshwater lake

China seals dike breach at its second-largest freshwater lake

Japan's rice stockpile has dropped to its lowest level in this century due to a prolonged heatwave in 2023 and rising domestic demand, causing concerns among residents about high prices.

The record-breaking heatwave and low rainfall in 2023 have stunted the growth of crops, including fruits, vegetables, and rice. This has led to reduced shipments and sharp price increases this year.

In Tokyo, Hidehisa Shinohara, a rice store owner, reported that he has never seen such low stockpiles.

"My store now has less than half the stock compared to normal years. Everything is less than half. Many varieties of rice that are typically available are not this year," said Shinohara.

As a result, the cost of rice has surged. The latest figures from the Agriculture Ministry indicate that rice prices have risen by 12 percent from the same period last year, placing additional strain on household finances.

Many consumers are visiting different stores in search of more affordable options.

"Rice is in shortage, and I see many people looking for cheaper alternatives in supermarkets around here," said a local resident.

"I usually buy four to five kilos of rice. When it was cheaper, five kilos cost about 1,400 yen (about 9.51 U.S. dollars), but now four kilos cost over 2,000 yen (about 13.6 U.S. dollars). It's a significant burden," said another resident.

While a new harvest is expected to go on market from late August, businesses say prices are likely to remain high.

The Ministry of Agriculture attributes the shortage to increased demand from the food service industry, which is still recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, there is heightened demand from record numbers of inbound tourists who are eager to enjoy Japanese food.

"I think prices will stay elevated due to increased production costs. Farmers have indicated that they cannot make ends meet with last year's price range. We expect more shortages over the next couple of years and need to maintain higher costs to ensure stable shipments," said Hidehisa.

Japanese consumers worry that if the situation persists, it may become difficult for households to enjoy affordable, high-quality rice.

Japan's rice stockpile falls to lowest level in this century