One-year basic recovery, three-year comprehensive improvement, long-term high-quality development
Hebei accelerates flood control project construction
Currently, the flood control and safety construction project for the Daluze and Ningjinbo flood storage and detention areas in Xingtai City is being accelerated. The contractor is seizing construction opportunities and pressing the "fast-forward button" on the project.

The Daluze and Ningjinbo flood storage and detention area flood control and safety construction project is a key flood control project in the Haihe River Basin. This summer's floods placed higher demands on the project's progress and quality. Since construction began, Ni Wenbo, deputy director of the Xingtai Municipal Water Affairs Bureau, has been stationed at the construction site to supervise project progress. He communicates and coordinates with the contractor in a timely manner, resolving difficult issues in project construction at the earliest opportunity, and striving to complete the main works by the end of next year. "At present, the evacuation road project has been completed, and other projects are proceeding in an orderly manner," Ni Wenbo said.

Water conservancy projects are an important material foundation and safety barrier for flood control and flood fighting. The author learned from the Provincial Department of Water Resources that during this year's "23·7" catastrophic flood, the province's flood control engineering system—composed of reservoirs, dikes, flood storage and detention areas, and other components—played a vital role, effectively reducing losses from flood and waterlogging disasters. However, some water conservancy projects also suffered varying degrees of damage, exposing many shortcomings and weaknesses.

"Following the overall approach of 'one-year basic recovery, three-year comprehensive improvement, and long-term high-quality development,' grounded in the present while keeping an eye on the long term, we are scientifically planning water conservancy project construction and systematically improving disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities," said Liu Shuyu, chief planner of the Provincial Department of Water Resources. They are focusing on weak links in flood control, continuously improving relevant plans, accelerating flood control project construction, and making every effort to build a solid flood control safety barrier.

On November 14, at the construction site of the Dongci Village critical section of the left dike of the Zhuozhou section of the Baigou River improvement project, multiple excavators and loaders were roaring in the river channel, and more than 40 construction workers were carrying out gabion mesh stone cage masonry work. The construction task at the Dongci Village critical section has entered its final stage.

The Baigou River belongs to the Daqing River system and is a key flood conveyance channel in the Daqing River Basin. The waters of the North Juma River, Huliang River, Xiaoqing River, and Liuli River ultimately flow into the Baigou River. The main construction content of the Baigou River improvement project includes dike raising and thickening, critical section treatment, and main channel dredging and improvement.

Up to now, the dike filling task of the project has been fully completed. The water conservancy department of Baoding City will strictly follow the project construction schedule, intensify supervision and inspection, and guide Zhuozhou, Gaobeidian, and Baigou New City to accelerate the final work of the Baigou River improvement project, including river channel dredging and improvement and slope protection greening, ensuring that all work is completed before April 30 next year.

Focusing on improving the flood control engineering system based on river dikes, with large reservoirs as the backbone and flood storage and detention areas as support, the Provincial Department of Water Resources has organized elite forces to work day and night, implementing weekly statistics and monthly scheduling, and continuously intensifying project planning, engineering construction, and element guarantees.

To build all water conservancy projects into projects that win public support, are of high quality, and are clean, Hebei will, based on basin flood control planning, reasonably formulate treatment standards and plans, strictly implement national construction standards and technical specifications, and, in light of the damage to water conservancy facilities, make coordinated plans and arrangements, distinguish priorities, and implement project construction in an orderly manner. Following the principle of "expand wherever possible, build wherever possible," they will tap the flood control capacity of existing reservoirs and carry out reconstruction and expansion of reservoirs where conditions permit. "We will accelerate the construction of a batch of large and medium-sized reservoirs in key areas such as Qingshan, Zhangfang, and Louli, enhance the flood interception and peak-shaving capacity of upstream reservoirs, and ensure downstream flood control safety," Liu Shuyu said.

In terms of river channel improvement and upgrading, Hebei will accelerate the improvement of major tributaries of rivers such as the Luanhe River and the Hutuo River, further improving the flood control capacity of river channels and dikes. At the same time, it will orderly advance the treatment of mountain torrent gullies to prevent mountain torrent disasters.

In terms of flood storage and detention area construction, with the fundamental goal of safeguarding the lives and property of people in flood storage and detention areas, they will enhance the flood control and safety capacity of these areas by optimizing their layout, building safety zones, relocating and resettling villages, and constructing plain reservoirs.

In terms of meeting urban flood control standards, they will coordinate funds from all parties, increase investment in urban flood control projects, accelerate the construction of urban flood control projects in all districted cities and towns such as Zhuozhou, improve urban flood control systems, and gradually meet urban planning flood control standards, satisfy flood control requirements, and ensure urban flood control safety.

In addition, the Provincial Department of Water Resources will fully leverage the role of science and technology empowerment, strengthen the deep integration of modern information technology with flood control projects, and, following the path of digital scenarios, intelligent simulation, and precise decision-making, accelerate the construction of digital twin projects and build a smart application management platform with the "four pre-" functions of forecasting, early warning, rehearsal, and contingency planning.