Floods cut water supplies for 300,000 in China

Flooding caused by unusually heavy rain near the North Korean border has cut water supplies to more than 300,000 people in northeastern China, the state media said on Monday.                                           

Residents in Tonghua city in Jilin province had been without tap water for two days because the floods damaged pipes, and the government had given no timeframe for when supplies may be restored, state news agency Xinhua said.

More than 300 workers had been mobilised to fix the damaged pipes, it added.                                           

"Residents had largely relied on bottled water over the past 48 hours and authorities ordered 25 fire trucks to deliver water for domestic purposes aside from drinking to residential communities in the city from 5 am to 8 pm every day," the news agency said.                                           

"The city authorities are working to ensure adequate supply of bottled water and have vowed to crack down on price manipulation."

Storms in Jilin have killed or left missing more than 100 people in the past few days. About 1,000 people have been killed this year in floods which have devastated some areas, mostly in central and southern China.

A burst reservoir obliterated the Jilin village of Dahe, killing at least 20 people, Xinhua said.                                           

More heavy rains has been forecast until the end of the week, it said.