China's strategic operation of reservoir network proves vital in countering floods

Over the past five years, China's strategic operation of its vast reservoir network has averted massive economic damage and protected millions from catastrophic flooding, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

To implement flood controls, water resource authorities across the country coordinated the operation of large and medium-sized reservoirs on 26,833 occasions during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), Yao Wenguang, head of the ministry's department of flood and drought disaster prevention, said at a news conference on Thursday.

These critical interventions cumulatively blocked 559.1 billion cubic meters of floodwater, successfully shielding 7,854 towns and cities from inundation and protecting about 5.46 million hectares of farmland, he added.

This systematic water management proved vital in countering a series of severe and historic flood events that tested the nation's resilience, the official stressed.

The effectiveness of these measures was demonstrated in 2021, when authorities successfully managed a rare and severe autumn flood along the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, he said.

In 2024, such operations helped mitigate 26 separate major floods across the nation's major river basins, the official said.

"Despite these severe tests, critical infrastructure remained intact with no breaches of major river levees recorded," he said.

Furthermore, no reservoir dam failures were recorded for four straight years, he added.

The economic impact of floods has been significantly mitigated thanks to the operations of these reservoirs, Yao emphasized. The proportion of economic losses from flood disasters in the country's GDP has dropped sharply from an average of 0.28 percent during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20) to 0.17 percent, he said.