On the afternoon of July 5th, the embankment of Dongting Lake in Tuanzhou Yuan, Huarong County, Hunan Province collapsed, leading to flooding in the area. Local government initially attempted to use trucks filled with sand to fill the breach as an emergency measure, but experts believe that this approach was flawed, resulting in the failure to seal the breach, causing the flooding of Huarong County, ultimately leading to the abandonment of the first line of defense. There have been three main questions raised by the public regarding this incident, including the absence of sandbags.
According to video footage from the scene, on the afternoon of July 5th, trucks filled with sand were used to directly fill the breach caused by the flooding in Huarong County, Hunan. However, this emergency rescue measure failed around 5 pm, leading to the breach expanding to approximately 10 meters wide within an hour, as reported by “The Paper” website. The trucks used were swiftly swept away by the rising waters, contributing to the complete inundation of Tuanzhou Yuan, Huarong County.
Prominent hydraulic engineer Wang Weiluo, who resides in Germany, explained that Tuanzhou Yuan, Huarong County, is an area reclaimed from Dongting Lake. The embankment of Tuanzhou Yuan was breached due to the rising waters of Dongting Lake, necessitating emergency measures to seal the breach, which unfortunately failed, leading to the swift widening of the breach.
As the breach expanded to around 220 meters on July 6th, on-site efforts were focused on the consolidation and sealing of the breach to prevent further flooding. It is expected to take several days for the water levels between Tuanzhou Yuan and Dongting Lake to reach equilibrium. Authorities are also working to ensure the safety of the second line of defense to prevent further flooding.
Chinese experts stressed the importance of reinforcing the embankment between Tuanzhou Yuan and Qiannan Yuan to prevent the flooding of the latter. The community remains concerned about whether the second line of defense remains secure.
Public skepticism has been expressed regarding the handling of the Dongting Lake flooding incident, particularly regarding the absence of sandbags in the emergency response. In a similar incident in Jiujiang, Jiangxi, in 1998, sandbags were crucial in successfully containing a breach in the Yangtze River embankment.
Furthermore, questions have been raised about the effectiveness of the 150 billion yuan allocated for flood control projects in Hunan Province from 2021 to 2023. Concerns have been raised about potential misallocation of these funds.
The issue of whether adequate patrol measures were in place and whether flood prevention plans were effectively implemented has also garnered attention. The incident in Huarong County highlights the dangers of complacency in flood prevention efforts.
As of now, approximately 5,000 residents in six villages and one community near Tuanzhou Yuan are in urgent need of evacuation. However, the extent of their safe evacuation remains unclear, with authorities stating that the majority have been relocated to designated shelters. The damage to their properties and farmland is yet to be assessed.
An official notice circulating online from Huarong County restricts officials from sharing information with the media without authorization, emphasizing that official statements should be the primary source of information.
Mr. Wang Weiluo criticized the failure to meet the flood prevention targets set by the Ministry of Water Resources for the 2024 flood season, highlighting the breach in Dongting Lake embankment as evidence of shortcomings. He compared this to the government’s claims of success following the 2023 flooding in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, noting the strict information control and suppression of adverse reports during such crises.