BEIJING
On 1 August 2023, as the heavy rainfall in China finally halted, much of Beijing was saved because Chinese officials ensured the flooding swept through the cities surrounding Beijing.
Chinese State media reported that officials in Hebei Province, which touches Beijing, had activated flood gates and spillways in seven low-lying flood control zones to block rivers and reservoirs in Beijing and the area’s main metropolis, Tianjin, from overflowing.
According to Ni Yuefeng, the Communist Party head of Hebei, he ordered the “orderly activation of flood storage and diversion areas in order to relieve pressure on Beijing’s flood control and resolutely build a ‘moat’ for the capital”.
This decision further devastated the neighbouring city of Zhuozhou in Hebei, which was already dealing with heavy rainfall and floods caused by a broken levee and an overflowing local river. Its streets and neighbourhoods turned into a brown, muddy lake, with water up to 23 feet deep wrecking homes and businesses.
Around a million people have been forcefully evacuated from the province and the surrounding villages on the fringes of Beijing. In some areas, the flooding broke power supplies, internet and mobile connections.
The rainfall crisis in Zhuozhou activated widespread anger as, in some areas, help arrived slower and much later than expected, leaving many people helpless. The survivors also complained that they were given a proper warning about the release of floodwater, and questioned if they would be compensated for their losses.
People have denounced what they perceive as a Hebei leadership that has been more interested in appeasing national leaders in Beijing than in safeguarding millions of Chinese citizens.
A villager said, “No one ever informed us of the flood discharge or told us to prepare to evacuate — if we had known this information, we would not have left so many things behind.” He further added, “Everything is soaked in water. I can barely calculate my loss.”
The government and party have set aside at least USD 20 million for flood prevention, relief and reconstruction efforts in Beijing and Hebei; another USD 63 million was allocated to Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei on Friday for the restoration of dams, reservoirs and other water facilities.
On Tuesday, Li Guoying, China’s minister of water resources ordered, “Ensure the absolute safety of key defence targets such as Xiong’an New Area and Beijing Daxing Airport.”