Across China: Resettlement project helps reduce flood damage

NANCHANG - Rao Tianle knew he and his family had had a lucky escape when he saw the meter-wide chasm that a raging torrent of flood water cut in front of his former home in East China's mountainous Jiangxi province over the weekend.

"If we had not moved down the mountain, my family would have been in big trouble," said Rao, 67, of Desheng township in Lichuan county.

He is among 80,000 Jiangxi residents resettled over the past five years under a natural disaster mitigation and poverty alleviation project. Rao and his family were the last household to be resettled, at the end of 2015.

Nearly 270 mm of rain fell on Desheng from 8 am on Saturday to 8 am Sunday, according to local weather station.

The downpour inundated roads and cut water and electricity in the area. More than a third of the houses where Rao used to live were toppled.

According to the Lichuan county government's flood control department, the rain affected 68,000 people, forced the evacuation of 3,700 people and damaged 74,000 mu (4,933 hectares) of crops.

But it could have been far worse. No casualties were reported, partly because of the resettlement. As China prepares to mark its Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Day on Thursday, the eighth anniversary of the massive Wenchuan earthquake, this is a story with a particularly timely message.

The resettlement project was initiated after June 18, 2010, when the worst flood in 100 years hit the region.

"Days of downpours had led to a huge crack in the mountain," Rao recalled. "All the villagers fled and were afraid to return home."

Li Muyin, Party head of Desheng Village (administered by Desheng Township), said nearly 2,000 villagers were evacuated to the township's high school, and he and his colleagues worked for 20 days straight to make sure they were looked after and prevent secondary disasters.

"We had to learn our lesson and move away from the dangerous place," he said.

Under the resettlement, 1,000 households in Desheng Township moved from the flood-prone mountainside to the foot of the mountain.

Rao's family was granted 20,000 yuan ($3,072) as a housing subsidy and resettlement fee plus a 30,000-yuan loan with low interest. He paid just 20,000 yuan for the building of his new home.

Rao said some villagers still spent time in their old homes occasionally as they were close to their farmland, but local officials would come to persuade them to leave if rain was expected.

According to Li, the rain was heavier this year than in 2010, but the number of affected people was much smaller. "Only 50 households had to be evacuated, 2.5 percent of the number in 2010," he said.

A new dam has also helped reduce flood damage. Its construction started in 2014 and although it is still being built, it has already started storing water.

"The dam, capable of storing up to one third of the township's annual precipitation, has saved almost all the 40 bridges this time, unlike in 2010, when almost all the bridges were destroyed or damaged," said Wu Wucai, Party head of Desheng township.