Tianjin Faces Severe Flooding as Daqing River Reaches the City
Tianjin, China – After the devastating flood of the Yongding River on August 1st, the Daqing River flooded into Tianjin on August 4th, further exacerbating the city’s flooding crisis. The floodwaters continue to flow towards the sea, putting severe pressure on the flood control engineering system in the Haihe River Basin.
The Haihe River Basin has experienced heavy rainfall since July 28th, causing 21 rivers in the area, including the Beisan River, Yongding River, Daqing River, Ziya River, and Zhangwei South Canal, to surpass their warning levels. This has resulted in the largest flood recorded in the region.
Experts from the Haihe Water Conservancy Committee of the Ministry of Water Resources have conducted an analysis of the situation. According to their preliminary findings, the precipitation during this period amounted to 43.2 billion cubic meters, spread across the 320,000 square kilometers of land in the Haihe River Basin, with a resulting height of 135 millimeters. To put this in perspective, the average annual precipitation in the basin is 525 millimeters, meaning that this episode accounted for a quarter of the annual precipitation. This underscores the intensity and volume of the rainfall.
In response to the flooding, the Haihe River Basin has opened eight flood storage and detention areas, including Ningjinbo, Daluze, Xiaoqing River flood diversion area, Langouwa, Dongdian, Xianxian flood area, Gongquxi, and Yongding River flood area. These areas act as crucial barriers to control the flow of floodwaters and minimize the potential for further damage.
Water conservancy projects, such as large reservoirs, play a critical role in preventing and mitigating floods. The Maritime Commission has been collaborating with all stakeholders in the basin to utilize key flood control projects, including pre-releasing and evacuating reservoirs in advance. This proactive measure aims to manage peak flows, control floods, and reduce the impact of the disaster as much as possible.
The Haihe River Basin is home to 33 large mountainous reservoirs, strategically positioned at the mouths or intersections of major rivers. These reservoirs serve as crucial components of the flood control engineering system. During this crisis, these reservoirs have effectively reduced the pressure on downstream flood control by impeding and storing floodwaters.
Moving forward, the focus will shift to safely channeling the floodwaters into the sea. Han Ruiguang, Secretary-General of Haihe Defense and Deputy Director of the Sea Committee, emphasized the need for intensive consultations with the Tianjin Municipal Water Affairs Bureau and the Hebei Provincial Water Conservancy Department. These discussions will play a vital role in studying and assessing the situation, closely monitoring the flood discharge in flood storage and detention areas such as the Yongding River flooding area and Dongdian, and effectively managing key projects such as the Qujiadian Hub, Yongding Xinhe Tide-proof Gate, and Duliu Water Reduction Area.
As Tianjin continues to grapple with severe flooding, the collaboration between government agencies and experts in flood control and water management becomes increasingly critical. Efforts to mitigate the effects of the floods and protect the lives and property of residents remain a top priority.