Recent days, Hunan province has been hit by severe heavy rain, causing disasters for the local residents. According to official sources, as of August 1st, the flooding in Zixing City, Hunan province has resulted in 30 deaths and 35 missing persons. Due to continuous heavy rainfall, the local authorities in Zixing City had previously ordered the opening of several reservoir sluices to release floodwaters.
Since July 26th, Zixing City in Hunan province has experienced an extraordinary amount of heavy rain, with an average rainfall of 410.4 millimeters. Some areas have recorded 24-hour rainfall exceeding historical records in Hunan, leading to disasters such as flash floods, landslides, and mudslides in multiple regions, causing varying degrees of damage to all towns and townships.
As of 8 a.m. on August 1st, the flooding has affected 118,000 people, with widespread disruptions to communication and power services, affecting 149 village groups in 10 towns, and resulting in 1345 road collapses, including 15 main national and county roads in Zixing City.
A netizen from Bamianshan Township shared with the Southern Metropolis Daily on July 29th that their relatives living in Yeguichong in the township are still unreachable, with their brother rushing back from out of town to search for them.
Ms. He, a resident of Huangcao Town, mentioned to the media that there are many adobe houses in Dongping Village in the town, which are prone to collapse due to the floodwaters. Many people have been relocated to Dongping School, where they’ve purchased two bottles of gas, and many are staying there for shelter and meals.
According to Hunan Daily, as of noon on August 1st, a total of 30 casualties and 35 missing persons have been confirmed in Zixing City.
However, due to the Chinese Communist Party’s consistent concealment of the truth, the accuracy of the official data is often questioned by the public.
Zixing City, located in the southeastern part of Hunan province, covers a total land area of 2746.79 square kilometers with a population of 385,500. It administers 9 towns, 2 streets, 2 ethnic minority townships, with a total of 183 administrative villages, 32 communities, and 1 provincial economic development zone.
Why has the disaster in Zixing City, Hunan province, been so severe this time?
Authorities attribute the flooding to the impact of the super typhoon “Gaemi.” However, the prior concentrated release of water from several reservoirs with flood prevention functions aggravated the local water disasters.
According to the Hunan Provincial People’s Government website, due to the influence of Typhoon “Gaemi,” Zixing City experienced continuous heavy rainfall, causing the water level of the Dongjiang Reservoir to rise. On July 27th, following the flood control command of Hunan province, the Dongjiang Reservoir opened its gates to release floodwaters.
Situated in Dongjiang Street, Zixing City, the Dongjiang Reservoir is located upstream of the Lei River (a tributary of the Xiang River) and primarily serves for generating electricity with flood control functions. The main dam of the Dongjiang Reservoir is known as the “Number One Dam in Asia.”
Additionally, as of 8 a.m. on August 1st, six reservoirs in Zixing City have overflowed, with four reservoirs opening their gates to release water.
The Xiang River is one of the major tributaries of the Yangtze River and the largest river in Hunan province.
On July 27th, the Xiang River experienced widespread heavy rain, with some areas facing severe thunderstorms, surpassing daily rainfall records since 1961, including the highest recorded rainfall in a day (77mm on May 25th, 1999). Tributaries such as the Lei River experienced flooding exceeding guaranteed levels, the Mi River faced historical flooding, and the Juan River approached warning levels, while the combined flow of the four rivers of Dongting Lake continued to rise.
Around 8 p.m. on July 28th, in Yisuhe Town, Xiangtan County, Hunan province, the Guojiaqiao Xintang Village embankment faced a breach. By 3:58 a.m. on July 29th, the breach widened to 77 meters, affecting 3,832 people in Xintang and Xinhucun villages.
Furthermore, in Longtan Village near Jianshui Town, Huashi Town, Xiangtan County, on the night of July 28th, an embankment breach occurred, leading to subsequent flooding.
It is understood that the Jianshui River is a primary tributary of the Xiang River, and on the 28th, it reached levels beyond guaranteed safety, with water levels in some sections setting historical records.
Apart from the Xiang River, meteorological authorities predict that in the upcoming days, the Dongting Lake water system, the middle and lower reaches of the Jinsha River, Wujian River, the upper reaches of the Han River, will experience heavy to severe rainstorms, localized heavy rainfalls, or extraordinary heavy rainfalls. Certain tributaries of the Dongting Lake water system might suffer flooding exceeding warning levels, the main stream of the Xiang River may face flooding beyond guaranteed levels, and the combined flow of the four rivers of Dongting Lake is expected to reach over 30,000 cubic meters per second; the Chenglingji section of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River may exceed the warning water level, the Jiujiang River section, the Dongting Lake area, and Poyang Lake area water levels may approach the alert water level, while the Shigu Station of the Jinsha River is consistently above the warning water level, expected to rise to above guaranteed levels soon.