11/29/2023 0 Comments China flood protection gateThe policy is further evident in government statements. This action, which forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and flooded local farmlands, was meant to protect the more populated areas downstream. In another flooding emergency, a few days later, officials discharged water from a different dam. In Jiangxi Province, the town of Youdunjie and five other villages were submerged when Anhui Province, upstream of the town, discharged their dam. Several towns and villages across China’s provinces have been inundated since the crisis began. Government actions and policies support this theory as well. One rural resident, in describing the damage to his family farm, says “Yes, the government has subsidies, but it can’t really help much.” Li Yao, a fellow at the East Asia Institute at the National University of Singapore, agrees with their sentiment, stating the flood-fighting strategy relies upon discharging water into farmland. Members of the local community have openly said Beijing has a deliberate policy to prioritize the protection of high population/high economic output cities over poorer villages. Farmers lost entire fields intended for harvest at the end of the season. Local businesses lost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment and merchandise. A lack of proper forewarning and “ineffective rescue efforts” prompted citizens in Xingtai City to protest, though the demonstration was quelled by police. In Shexian County, there was no government warning as flood waters overflowed a dam in the middle of the night and hit small towns in the area. Dam the FarmersĬhinese flood mitigation policy focuses on protecting cities at the expense of rural areas and farmland. In mid-July, the reservoir reached 163.59 meters, 18 meters above the flood control limit. This flood builds on the already-high water levels, which have been at 155 meters for over a month. The flood caused water levels to rise to 166 meters the Three Gorges Dam’s maximum water level is 175 meters. Today, the Three Gorges saw water inflows rise to the highest levels, at 75,000 cubic meters per second, since its construction. The only defenses the city has against flooding downstream of Three Gorges are a series of dikes and embankments. During the third flood, Wuhan’s stormwater runoff reached levels as high as 28.8 meters, despite the city sitting no more than 27 meters above sea level. The Leshan Buddha, a 1200-year-old statue in the province, saw water levels rise over its toes for the first time since 1949.Ĭities downstream of Three Gorges, such as Wuhan, have seen flooding as well. This week, during the fifth flood, Sichuan Province raised its emergency response to the maximum level as 100,000 people were evacuated on August 18 due to the floods. During the fourth flood, which started around August 13, twenty-two rivers in the province exceeded the safe level. Sichuan, one of the hardest hit provinces, is not as well-protected from flooding as cities downstream of the Three Gorges. E Jingping, China’s Minister of Water Resources, stated “upstream dams should take on as much water as possible to ease pressure on the Three Gorges Dam.” His Vice Minister, Ye Jianchun, added by saying the “detailed scheduling of water discharges from reservoirs, particularly the Three Gorges, had been effective in controlling floods.” However, the Three Gorges can only control flooding downstream. There are conflicting observations over the effectiveness of the Three Gorges Dam during the flooding crisis. In July, the government confirmed that it destroyed a dam in Anhui Province to help alleviate flood waters, a measure not publicly acknowledged since the 1998 floods. In June, a 55-year-old dam collapsed under the pressure of the flood waters it was not reported on by domestic media. This summer’s rain season has put incredible strain on these dams. To control the flooding along the Yangtze River, China spent $37 billion to build Three Gorges Dam and displace over 1 million residents. Across China, there are over 90,000 dams built to control the waterways for farming and flood protection. Backgroundįlooding is a historical issue dating back at least 500 years of recorded history, especially in the Yangtze River Basin. China’s Ministry of Emergency Management has estimated 179 billion yuan ($26 billion) in direct economic losses. 19-year-old rural resident, Bao WentaoĪmidst a global pandemic, China has faced the worst flooding in two decades as 219 people are considered dead or missing, 4 million people have been displaced, and 63 million people have been affected. The rice was nearly ripened and ready to harvest before the flooding.
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