In a bid to alleviate congestion and chaos in Beijing, China is in the process of constructing a new city approximately 60 miles south of the capital.
The ambitious project, named the “Xiong’an New Area”, is deemed by President Xi Jinping as of “millennial significance” that will endure the “test of history”.
However, as construction costs soar past 540 billion yuan (£60 billion), questions have arisen regarding the city’s vulnerability to environmental challenges.
Originally unveiled in 2017, the plan outlined the transformation of an eco-friendly, high-tech hub in an area known for its low-lying, marshy terrain prone to flooding and drought.
Fast forward seven years, and recent record rains and flooding in Beijing and the surrounding Hebei province have reignited concerns about the wisdom of building a multibillion-dollar city in a flood-prone plain.
Xiong’an’s main urban areas, where state-owned offices are under construction, reportedly did not suffer major flooding during the recent severe weather events.
However, the devastation in neighbouring regions has prompted a reassessment of the decision to build a city in an area susceptible to flooding.
As officials grappled with the response plan to the floods, a priority emerged to ensure the safety of both Beijing and Xiong’an.
The decisions made regarding floodwater management, including the discharge of water into designated “flood storage zones”, raised questions about the impact of Xi’s dream city on the decision-making process.
The mountainous western outskirts of Beijing experienced flash floods first, causing extensive damage. Downstream, officials faced challenging choices on managing floodwaters that surged through rivers across cities, villages, and farmlands in Hebei’s plains.
The consequences of these decisions were felt in Zhuozhou, a city south of Beijing, where streets and neighbourhoods were submerged, prompting criticism on social media about inadequate warnings and evacuation procedures.
Similarly, Bazhou faced protests from residents demanding compensation for submerged villages and farmlands.
As China pushes forward with the construction of the Xiong’an New Area, the recent flooding events have underscored the need for careful consideration of the environmental factors and potential impacts on surrounding regions.
Liu Binglian, a professor at Nankai University’s College of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Collaborative Development, told the Chinese Communist State media services about progress made so far in Xiong’an.
“By giving full play to China’s institutional advantages and combining effective government with an efficient market, the location is exploring possible ways to tackle the world’s urban development bottlenecks, and the progress achieved is striking.”
