Experience-Based Expertise with Flooding in China

Abstract

In frequent flood disasters of China, people have abstracted some concepts of hydraulic infrastructure construction and approaches for emergency rescue in floods, which have resulted in the formation of a flood emergency management system based on Chinese national conditions. At the beginning of 2003, the Ministry of Water Resources clearly directed a strategic shift from flood control to flood management to achieve harmony between man and nature. According to Flood Control Law of the People’s Republic of China (Flood Control Law for short), the flood management system in China mainly consists of two parts: the flood control project system management and flood emergency management, the former being the responsibility of water authorities at all levels [1]. According to the rules of Flood Control Law, local governments shall be responsible for the orientation of flood control in their respective jurisdiction, and the water authorities shall be in charge of the daily work of flood control including organization, coordination, monitoring, and guidance. Other related administrative departments shall be responsible for relevant work according to their duties. In flood prevention and control, government chief executive responsibility system is applied with commanding authority unified and departments at all levels being responsible for their respective duty. State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters under the State Council of China is in charge of the guiding and organization of national flood control work. There are also corresponding flood control headquarters at all levels of local government. The structure of flood emergency management is shown in the Fig. 160.1.