THE rescue work’s focus for the earthquake in Gansu Province will shift to the treatment of the wounded and the resettlement of the affected people as more funds have been allocated to support disaster relief efforts, according to a news conference yesterday. The 6.2-magnitude earthquake that jolted Jishishan at 11:59 p.m. Monday has resulted in 113 deaths in Gansu and 18 deaths in Qinghai Province as of press time yesterday. A total of 14,939 houses collapsed and 207,204 houses were damaged in the earthquake, affecting 145,736 people of 37,162 households. Currently, transportation, electricity and communication services have been fully restored, according to the news conference. No secondary disasters have been reported, according to the quake relief headquarters. Operations in mines in the affected area have been urgently halted and people evacuated. However, reservoirs, hydropower stations, important river embankments and dam projects are operating normally. There have been no reports of earthquake-related environmental pollution. An inspection conducted at the Liujiaxia Hydropower Station shows that the dam body and other facilities, including the spillway structures, are working normally, according to the news conference. The Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee has allocated 100 million yuan (US$14.09 million) from CPC membership dues to support disaster relief efforts in the earthquake-hit regions. The funds will target primary-level Party members, officials and people on the front lines of disaster relief, and Party members and people who suffered hardship due to the earthquake. The allocated dues will also be used to repair damaged educational facilities for primary-level Party members, according to the department. The Ministry of Finance, together with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Water Resources, allocated a total of 220 million yuan of funds to help restore agricultural and water conservancy infrastructure damaged. The funds will mainly be used for the restoration of greenhouses, livestock and aquaculture enclosures, dams, irrigation systems, rural water supply facilities as well as small-scale reservoirs, according to the ministries.(China Daily, Xinhua) | 