Since July this year, Inner Mongolia has been hit by the strongest rainfall in nearly 70 years, leading to severe flooding in various areas. Local villagers have been forced to evacuate, with homes still submerged in water to this day. Affected residents revealed that the breach of the Hasuhai drainage canal was caused by the release of water from a reservoir. Additionally, local flash floods have resulted in multiple casualties, yet the official reports have been covering up the news.
According to official reports, starting from July 23, Inner Mongolia has been experiencing continuous heavy rainfall, breaking historical records dating back to 1956. This so-called “century rainstorm” has brought unprecedented impacts to the traditionally arid Tumochuan Plain.
Tokto County, located in the Tumochuan Plain at the southern foot of the Daqing Mountains in Hohhot City, is traversed by the Yellow River for 37.5 kilometers, where several seasonal rivers like Dahei River and Shilawusu River converge. Since late July, water levels in the Yellow River’s main branch, Dahei River, and the Hasuhai drainage canal have consistently exceeded the warning lines, leading to breaches in several embankments.
On July 28 at around 8 o’clock in the morning, a breach occurred in the Hasuhai drainage canal in Tumot Right Banner in Hohhot City due to torrential rain, causing widespread flooding of farmland and farmhouses. On August 9, a 40-meter breach appeared again in the flood discharge canal. Tokto County, Tumot Left Banner, Tumot Right Banner, and other areas have suffered severe damages, with millions of acres of crops submerged.
Despite official reports focusing on local officials commanding flood control efforts on the front lines and constructing “indestructible steel embankments,” the truth hidden by the authorities behind the disaster is starting to emerge.
The situation is particularly dire in Zhi Jiliang Village in Chilichuan Town, Tumot Left Banner, Hohhot City. On October 11, a local villager named Liu Jin (pseudonym) told Epoch Times that the embankment breach on August 29 was caused by water being released from a reservoir, not simply a natural disaster.
“It was the embankment breach caused by water release,” Liu Jin stated. The sudden disaster caught hundreds of households off guard, “Our house is still soaking in water; more than one hundred households are homeless.”
The hurried evacuation left many families unable to move their belongings in time. “We couldn’t move our things out during the evacuation; everything is soaking in water,” said Liu Jin. Two months later, the flooding situation in the disaster area remains critical.
Liu Jin described that the shallow areas still have water levels of 80 centimeters, reaching around 1.5 meters in the deeper parts. “There’s nowhere for the water to recede; the fields are all flooded.” The paralyzed drainage system has slowed down post-disaster recovery efforts.
What concerns local villagers even more is that such a scale of disaster had never happened before, surpassing local historical experiences. Questions about the rationality of flood discharge decisions and the timeliness of warnings linger in the minds of the villagers as unresolved doubts.
Meanwhile, another tragedy has unfolded in Inner Mongolia. The Emergency Management Department of Bayannur City reported on August 17 that a flash flood occurred in Ulannur Banner, leading to the deaths of 10 campers and 2 missing persons.
Mr. Ji, a resident in mainland China, disclosed to Epoch Times, “Information is being heavily restricted now. So many children have died, and parents can’t make any noise. There’s no further official reports either. Whether these victims were college students or just finished their college entrance exams is not clearly stated.”
The villager mentioned restrictions on spreading information, “We can’t upload videos online,” and “There’s no news from the government; you see, even the comment section is all deleted.” This situation not only affects the public’s understanding of the disaster but also hinders social efforts in providing aid to some extent.
The slow progress of post-disaster relief efforts has sparked widespread dissatisfaction among the affected population. As per villagers, “Houses haven’t been assessed for damage yet; the government has been silent.” The issue of stagnant water remains unresolved; “The water hasn’t been pumped out, it’s just sitting there.”
Currently, some villagers are renting houses outside, while others are temporarily staying in village clinics and nursing homes. The supply of emergency materials is also insufficient, “After the flood, they only gave us eight kilograms of rice per family.” This stark contrast between the severity of the disaster and the aid provided has left the affected population deeply disappointed.
At present, the top concerns of the affected villagers are housing and livelihood. “How can we, ordinary people, live? Let’s first figure out how to resolve the housing issue; without crops, we’ll have to find jobs elsewhere,” Liu Jin expressed the common sentiment among the disaster victims.
The extensive damage to crops indicates a lost harvest this year, leaving many families without their main source of income. However, with opaque information and delayed response in rescue efforts, the road to rebuilding for the affected villagers remains uncertain.