Recently, the village of Jiruhai in Jinhao Village, Touliang City, Inner Mongolia, has been submerged in water for three to four years. After nationwide appeals from netizens, this issue has gained attention on social media. The government claims to have started drainage operations since 2022, but the lack of action by the authorities has been criticized by the public.
Many netizens have been sharing videos of Jiruhai Village Jiruhai Village and Xixi Rabbit Village in Kezuo Town, Kexiliao Banner, Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia, submerged in water. It has been reported that since being hit by floods last August, the water levels have not receded for seven months. In the winter, the frozen water has filled residents’ homes, preventing some from returning, and making it difficult for others to reach their homes by boat, let alone engage in spring planting.
A poet from Heilongjiang named “Past Memories Young Brother Ge” has created a series of satirical poems in support of the villagers in Jiruhai. One of his widely circulated poems goes, “Is the scenery beautiful? You can see the floods at home. No need to travel to Sanya, you can see the world at home. Jiruhai, Jiruhai, it really feels like the ocean here.”
In another poem, he criticized the local government’s inaction, stating, “Just hearing but not seeing any action, still dreaming about the future. On this day last year, leaving home for a winter, enduring another year of snow, houses still submerged in water. If we wait for the water to recede, homes will be ruined after two years, seeing this heartbreaking scene with tears in the eyes.”
In the comment section, many netizens have mocked the situation, saying, “It’s been half a year, and today they just released the video, great control.” “Why keep it so secret that no one knew about it?” “I didn’t even know in the neighboring city, the secrecy is impressive.” “They suppressed this news well. As a Tongliao resident, only now I know.”
Investigations revealed that the issue of waterlogging in the area has been ongoing for more than a year.
As early as May 14 last year, a popular influencer with over 600,000 followers, “Reimengbangmang,” had brought attention to the waterlogging issue in Jiruhai Village. In a video, an official response acknowledged the continuous water influx from the upstream areas of Adoqin, Gilgalang, and other sumu towns, affecting Jiruhai due to the 2022 flood situation. The largest water surface area during the flood season reached over 7,000 acres.
The official claimed that to effectively address the waterlogging issue, a 5.2 km long and 30 meters deep drainage canal was dug in the downstream area in mid-November 2022 for drainage purposes. They cited severe sand deposition blocking drainage effectiveness and claimed that Kebao Tun Town had been employing measures to clear the sand and blockages, maintaining a state of drainage, implying that the village remains submerged.
Furthermore, the official stated that in 2024, Kebao Tun Town continued its drainage operations. During this year’s drainage process, the bridge that downstream villagers rely on for travel was washed away, necessitating bridge reconstruction. As of today, the bridge work has been completed, and drainage operations in Kebao Tun Town are proceeding orderly.
Local villagers confirmed to journalists that the waterlogging issue has been ongoing for four to five years. “Ever since the wind power generation project was completed here, there has always been a lot of water. Sometimes when it rains, people inside can’t come out, and others can’t go in, so we had to use boats. It has been four to five years already.”
Following public attention on social media due to various appeals, Kebao Tun Town has purchased container houses for 18 households in Jiruhai Village for resettlement and stated that the land is being leveled for installation, aiming to provide full support for their production and daily life.
Despite the authorities’ claims of ongoing drainage operations, local residents have exposed the truth in the comment section. One local, who has moved to Beijing, said, “What the officials are saying is all lies. There’s no drainage, and my home is flooded.”
Other villagers have also appealed for help in the comment section.
According to publicly available data in mainland China, Jiruhai Gacha (village) is located 35 kilometers northwest of Kebao Tun Town government, covering an area of 53.33 square kilometers. It consists of East Two Jiazi, Shalijingzi, Xijiretu Small Group, Xijiruhai, and Dongjiruhai 5 village groups, with a registered population of 227 households and 876 people, and a resident population of 206 households and 867 people.