CRI听力:Disinfection Works Underway in Quake-Hit Zone

Medical staff have started disinfection work in the earthquake-hit zone of southwest China's Yunnan province as health officials warn of the risk of epidemic diseases.

The move comes as the death toll from a deadly earthquake has risen to 615.

CRI's Su Yi has more.

Reporter:
Some 363 medical staff are currently in the quake zone conducting the disinfection work, to prevent diseases like Cholera.

Han Rui is a medical official with the 14th Army Group.

"We have already disinfected 108 bodies. We also sanitized an area of over 70,000 square meters. 1,500 kilograms of disinfectant were used. Now our mission is disinfecting every village and household. So far we've already covered two villages. "

Health officials have warned that high temperatures and lack of medicines could complicate the post-disaster epidemic control.

The national disease control center warns that the congregation of people in tents can increase the chances of tuberculosis, and a lack of clean drinking water may increase the chances of catching infectious intestinal diseases.

Lu Lin is the director of Yunnan Disease Control and Prevention Center.

"We are facing more challenges in makeshift shelters. We are asking the shelters to provide clean drinking water. Not just bottled water, but clean pipe water. In addition to that, the shelters need to have an area for waste collection and treatment. Makeshift toilets are also necessary. Some shelters do not have those facilities."

Lu says the medical staff are now disinfecting the shelters and monitoring the quality of drinking water.

So far, no disease outbreak has been reported in the quake zone.

As sanitizing work continues, relief workers are rushing against time to drain water from a lake formed by landslides.

The 15 kilometers long lake near the epicenter in Longtoushan has already flooded about 370 homes.

Now the water level has risen to over 1,200 meters, only 36 meters below the alert line.

The army has used dynamite to blow up the blockage and plans to dig a spillway to discharge the water.

Fan Tianying is the chief commander of the operation.

"Based on our preliminary plan, we will dig a spillway on the top of the blockage. The blockage mainly consists of large rocks and stones, so we have to use dynamite to blow it up. This is going to be tough operation."

Around 4,200 residents have evacuated from the area.

With the majority of roads in the quake zone now cleared of obstacles, large machines are now moving in to aid the relief work.

For CRI, I'm Su Yi.