China Expands Social Security Net Amid Severe Flooding

China has expanded economic safeguards for segments of its population affected by flood control schemes during extreme rainfall. This includes direct compensation from the central government and payments for livestock losses.

In China, diverting flood waters to areas next to rivers is crucial for managing downstream flooding. As extreme rainfall becomes more frequent, China is utilizing unused areas, some of which have farms, croplands, and residential buildings, leading to social tensions.

Revised rules on compensation related to flood diversions state that the central government will now cover 70% of all compensation funds, with local governments responsible for the rest. Livestock and poultry that cannot be relocated before diverted flood waters arrive will also be included in the compensation scheme for the first time.

In the summer of 2023, nearly 1 million people in Hebei province were relocated due to record rain, forcing authorities to divert water to some populated areas for storage. China currently has 98 designated flood diversion areas, including the Yangtze River basin.

Since the start of the East Asia monsoon in early June, precipitation in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze has been up to two times higher than usual. Daily rainfall in provinces like Hubei and Guizhou broke records for the month of June.

Guizhou faced severe flooding this week, with one city experiencing a flood of a magnitude that meteorologists say occurs once in 50 years. Beijing has pledged to relocate vulnerable populations and industries to low-flood areas and allocate more space for flood diversion.

According to the source: CNA.