From August 18 to 22, 2020, an extraordinary flood caused severe flooding in Chongqing’s four riverside roads along the Yangtze River and Jialing River and its surrounding urban areas, triggering social concern to Chongqing’s flood control capability.
The picturesque night view of Two Rivers and Four Banks in Chongqing, China (Photo by Liu Bo)
At the Two Sessions 2021, Chongqing-based members of the National Committee of the Chinese Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) jointly submitted a proposal supporting Chongqing’s pilot work to coordinate flood control and drainage along the Yangtze River and Jialing River and urban construction.
Essential pilot work
The Yangtze River is the mother river of the Chinese nation. The Jialing River is the largest tributary of the Yangtze River basin, and its safety barriers are vital to Yangtze Economic Belt.
Premier Li Keqiang stressed in his inspection visit to Chongqing on August 21 last year that Chongqing should implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions on flood control, disaster relief, and post-disaster rebuilding, make better flood control operation, and make great efforts on emergency rescue and production recovery. He also agreed with Chongqing’s ideas on accelerating the pilot work of coordinating flood control and drainage along the Yangtze River and Jialing River and urban construction.
The view of Two Rivers and Four Banks in Chongqing, China.
The pilot work covers 26 tasks, intending to spend one year to make up for much-needed links, two years to strengthen weak links, and five years to form the demonstration project. By doing so, the uncoordinated status between flood control and drainage and urban development will be improved, thus providing replicable and scalable practices for other domestic cities in this regard.
Better mechanisms
Chongqing-based CPPCC National Committee members believe that the pilot work is of great significance to modernize the flood control governance system and capability in the Yangtze River basin and promote the Yangtze Economic's high-quality development Belt. It is essential to Chongqing and the whole country.
In the proposal, the pilot work is going on orderly but still faces problems such as imperfect mechanisms, inadequate supporting measures, and financial support. In particular, of the 68 pilot projects with a total investment of more than 75 billion yuan, only about 13 billion yuan was identified. There is no special financial funding at the national level. With the pressure on the tight schedule, heavy and demanding tasks, policy and financial support from relevant ministries and commissions are urgently needed.
Support of relevant ministries and commissions
A request for relevant ministries and commissions to support Chongqing’s pilot work from five aspects was made in the proposal.
— Inclusion of Chongqing’s pilot work into national planning. The National Development and Reform Commission is expected to support the pilot work's inclusion into the Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan. National ministries and commissions such as the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Ministry of Water Resources are expected to include it in the 14th Five-Year Plan for industries.
— Overall coordination and guidance. National ministries and commissions such as the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Ministry of Water Resources are expected to strengthen overall coordination by setting up a ministerial joint conference coordination mechanism for the pilot work at the national level to guide Chongqing.
— Policy support. The Ministry of Finance is expected to support the added government debt limit to exclude the government debt's pilot project financing. The Ministry of Water Resources is expected to establish a special approval process for river-related projects to promote projects' implementation as soon as possible.
— Additional special funds for the pilot projects. The Ministry of Finance is expected to set up a special fund for pilot projects. The Ministry of Finance and National Development and Reform Commission give preferential support for pilot projects by taking advantage of central budgetary funds and other financial supports. China Development Bank is expected to set up a special loan fund for pilot projects.
— Support for a higher capability in flood control. Based on overall flood control safety consideration for Chongqing and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the Ministry of Water Resources is expected to improve the coordinated operation plan for reservoirs in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, especially for the Three Gorges reservoir, to agree to build eco-regulating weirs (water locks) for pursuing modern water conservancy construction.