Title: China’s Xiong’an New Area Faces Flooding Challenges

Source: CNN

On a gray day in late February 2017, Chinese leader Xi Jinping gathered with a handful of close advisers to survey crop fields and polluted wetlands some 100 kilometers south of Beijing.

Just over a month later, China announced Xi’s plan to transform the area into an eco-friendly, high-tech hub, known as the “Xiong’an New Area.”

However, concerns about the decision to build a multibillion-dollar city in a flood-prone plain have resurfaced after record rains and flooding hit Beijing and surrounding Hebei province, including Xiong’an, causing devastation and displacing over 1.5 million people.

Xiong’an’s main urban areas, where state-owned enterprises are under construction, did not report major flooding. But the surrounding devastation has raised questions about how decisions were made to manage the flood waters, and whether the political pressure to protect Xi’s dream city played a role.

As heavy rains moved toward the region, flood control officials prioritized keeping Beijing and Xiong’an safe. The mountainous western outskirts of Beijing experienced flash floods, while downstream areas grappled with managing flood waters in cities, villages, and farmlands.

Zhuozhou took the worst hit, with streets, homes, and neighborhoods submerged in water. Residents protested for compensation, blaming the flood water discharge rather than heavy rainfall as the cause of the flooding.

Authorities made difficult decisions about diverting flood waters to protect Xiong’an, possibly impacting other areas.

Various factors, including water speed, reservoir levels, and existing flood management guidelines, influenced decisions about diverting flood waters. Protecting Xiong’an and reducing flood control pressure on its newly built embankments may have played a role in diverting water in Zhuozhou and other areas.

Xiong’an’s construction includes defenses against flooding, but concerns about flood risks in the area were raised in its environmental evaluation. In the future, integrated flood event management at the large river basin scale is suggested to mitigate risks.

While Chinese officials have downplayed flood concerns, the region’s flood management systems and decision-making processes need review and stronger coordination to ensure better response to future floods.

Experts emphasize the need for improved emergency management systems and stronger coordination between authorities to prevent such disasters in the future.

Xiong’an New Area, despite flood challenges, is part of China’s vision for modernity and sustainable development. The project aims to showcase the coexistence of urbanization and an improved natural environment.

However, as the region develops, flood risks are likely to increase due to population growth, economic development, and climate change.

Xiong’an New Area’s government highlights the gradual recovery of work and life in the area, but experts call for a review of flood management systems and decision-making processes in the region.