VIENTIANE, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The number of poor families could be revised up this year in the wake of flooding that has ravaged many parts of Laos, claiming lives and a huge amount of property, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Tuesday.

Thousands of people who were previously lifted above the poverty line could be re-classified as poor after floods swept away their houses, crops, rice stocks, animals, clothing and other property, according to the report.

Director General of the Rural Development and Cooperative Department, Kongkeo Vongpaseuth, told Vientiane Times on Monday that the deadly floods would undoubtedly affect the government's poverty reduction programs.

"We are preparing to re-examine poverty rates after the flooding. We have learned that floods have devastated the livelihoods of many farmers, their paddy fields, houses and other infrastructure," he said.

"We had planned to reduce the poverty rate to about 5 percent this year but we don't think we can accomplish this goal because many families have suffered in the floods."

In Attapeu province alone, the disastrous dam-failure-inflicted flood ravaged Sanamxay district, some 560 km southeast of Vientiane, having caused loss of 34 lives, 97 people missing and laid waste whole villages.

The flash flood, triggered by the collapse of an auxiliary dam at the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydropower plant, has left more than 6,000 people homeless. Many are now sheltering at schools and in temporary camps. Their farmland has been covered with a sea of mud which could take years to be rendered usable for agricultural purposes.

In central Laos, almost 30,230 households in 378 villages of 10 districts in Khammouane province have been affected by flooding which submerged many houses and over 35,000 hectares of paddy fields; In Savannakhet province, almost 21,000 people in 86 villages have been affected by floods.

Officials said many provinces in Laos had suffered severe flooding which would hinder villagers trying to escape from poverty.

In 2017, the Lao government revised the poverty line for rural and urban dwellers to reflect the reality of the nation's economic circumstances and living costs. To stay above the poverty line, a person must have food that provides at least 2,100 calories a day, as well as sufficient clothing and a solid residential shelter. A person must also be able to afford his or her own healthcare during illness, and access basic education and other basic public services, while their income must be above two U.S. dollars a day.

According to a recent government report, the number of poor families declined from 6.5 percent in 2015 to 6.3 percent in 2016.

If the new poverty line is fully applied and the number of affected families included, the number of poor families could increase in Laos, said the report.