BBC News - Fatal floods hit China forcing over 500,000 to flee: "China has raised the disaster alert to the highest level, as flooding spreads across central and southern provinces
Days of torrential rain have forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people in central and southern China.
The government has described flooding in some areas as the worst since 1955 and has mobilised troops to evacuate some 555,000 people."
Public buses should be free to ride, said a representative at the Sichuan Provincial People's Congress yesterday.
"Implementing free public buses within the city will reduce basic operation costs," said representative Zhai Feng. Zhai argued that free city buses would reduce traffic congestion as well as air and noise pollution. Currently, says Zhai, bus trips account for only 20 percent of trips made in Chengdu.
Zhai suggested a step-by-step implementation of a free-bus scheme, starting with central and commercial areas as well as schools and workplaces. The system would be paid for by government funding, corporate sponsors, and advertising.
BEIJING, Jan 24 (Reuters) - China's eastern province of Shandong is facing its worst drought in a century, with nearly a quarter of a million residents facing drinking water shortages, while more snow is expected in the south, state media said on Monday.
In the Shandong cities of Linyi, Rizhao and Weifang, the dry spell has lowered reservoirs so dramatically that authorities are using fire trucks to deliver daily drinking water supplies to residents, the China Daily reported...
