Dam breach in China’s Hunan forces 6 000 to evacuate, Xi Jinping calls for all-out rescue

A breach in a dike at Dongting Lake in Huarong County, central China’s Hunan Province on July 5, 2024, triggered massive flooding, prompting a large-scale evacuation and emergency response. State media reported that the breach, spanning 226 m (740 feet), forced nearly 6 000 people to evacuate from nearby areas. No casualties were reported.

• This is the first time the flood has breached the dam since 1996.

The breach occurred around 17:00 LT on Friday, July 5 in part of an embankment on the shore of Dongting Lake, with water surging through the breach, flooding farmland, and reaching the rooftops of village homes.

The country’s road monitoring center imposed traffic controls on all roads leading in and out of Huarong County, home to approximately half a million residents. “During the control period, vehicles other than those assisting with flood prevention are prohibited from passing through,” the center said in a statement on Weibo.

President Xi Jinping called for “all-out rescue and relief work to safeguard people’s lives and property,” according to Xinhua. The central government allocated an additional 540 million yuan ($74 million) for relief efforts in Hunan and other affected areas.

The emergency management ministry deployed over 800 personnel, nearly 150 vehicles, and dozens of boats to aid in flood relief and to attempt to block the breach. More than 2 300 rescue workers were involved in building a secondary line of defense against the floodwaters, as confirmed by Xinhua.

“It is a difficult task because the embankment is not as strong as the dike and has not been used to block water since 1996,” said Chen Wenping, a local inspector.

As of 14:40 on July 6, water levels inside and outside the breach were flush, and the water flow had slowed down. Zhang Xuanzhuang of the China Anneng Group First Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd. indicated that the work to fully block the breach was expected to take four days.

The breach affected an area near Tuanbei Village, covering approximately 50 km² (31 mi²). Since noon on July 6, the breach allowed more water to flow in, posing a risk to the secondary embankment.

Experts warned that this embankment is crucial and must be strengthened according to strict technical standards. By 22:00 on July 5, around 5,000 residents had been safely relocated, with no reports of trapped individuals or casualties.

China has seen a summer of extreme weather this year, with central and southern regions facing severe flooding while the northern areas endure heat waves. The breach at Dongting Lake is a new addition to a series of weather-related disasters, including deadly mountain floods and landslides in Hunan last month, and severe flooding in southern Guangdong province that resulted in 38 deaths.

The Ministry of Water Resources announced plans to inspect dikes at Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater lake, and embankments along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Heavy rainfall earlier this week had already caused the Miluo River in Pingjiang County to rise to its highest level in 70 years, prompting local authorities to activate the maximum emergency response level.

Footage from the scene showed efforts to contain the floodwaters, with excavators piling boulders into barriers and trucks delivering supplies to rescue workers. Earlier videos captured the dramatic impact of the breach, with waves of water overturning trucks and submerging houses and fields.

References:

¹ Dam breach triggers severe floods in central China, forces 6,000 people to evacuate – Firstpost – July 6, 2024

² China: Dam breach forces almost 6,000 people to evacuate – DW – July 6, 2024

³ Rescuers race to strengthen embankment at China’s second-largest freshwater lake – Xinhua – July 6, 2024

⁴ Work begins sealing breach at China’s second-largest freshwater lake – Reuters – July 6, 2024

Rishav Kothari

I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.

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