‘The capital’s moat’: thousands forced from homes in China’s Hebei province to ease flooding in Beijing
- Hebei opens zones in low-lying areas to divert water from affecting downstream areas
- Residents have been relocated to temporary housing but it could be some time before they can return to their properties
Hebei’s Emergency Management Department said it had activated seven flood storage zones, diverting 1.8 billion cubic metres of floodwater to “ease pressure on Beijing and Tianjin”.
The comment prompted criticism online, with one internet user saying: “Don’t Hebei’s own people need protection?”
Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the nationalist tabloid Global Times, was similarly critical.
“We should not have the mindset of sacrificing anyone for the sake of protecting anyone, or treating one place as a moat for another,” he said on his Weibo account.
03:06
Beijing orders all-out search and rescue as deadly flooding sweeps northern China
Rainstorm warnings for Hebei have been lifted but Beijing issued a new yellow alert – the third-highest in the four-level system on Thursday afternoon, and flooding remains a danger for both areas.
The department said it had “opened up” seven zones in low-lying areas to store diverted floodwaters.
The zones are a central part of China’s flood control system and Hebei is home to 13 of the 98 zones throughout the country.
Neighbouring Tianjin also activated a flood storage area in Jinghai district, telling residents to move out by midday on Thursday.
“By activating the flood storage area, we have sacrificed ourselves and made contributions to the country and the people of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. History will remember our achievements,” the district said in an open letter to residents.
02:15
11 dead, 27 missing in Beijing floods as Tropical Storm Doksuri lashes northern China
Hydraulic engineer Cheng Xiaotao told state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday that “diverting floodwaters into flood storage can reduce the river’s peak flow and relieve the pressure on downstream cities”.
Residents from the zones have been rehoused in temporary government accommodation but it will be some time before they can return to their homes, according to mainland media reports.
A senior Hebei water resources official told CCTV on Thursday it would take up to a month for the floodwaters to subside from land in the zones that had already been inundated.
Some homes may be too badly damaged to be habitable. In those cases, property owners can apply for compensation from the local government but under a State Council directive that came into effect in 2000 the maximum amount is just 70 per cent of the market price.
However, Guangzhou-based newspaper Southern Weekly published a commentary on Thursday afternoon saying flood zone residents should be fully compensated for their losses.
