Hunan to relocate Tuanzhou residents after devastating flood

According to Hunan Daily, the Hunan provincial government plans to relocate all residents of Tuanzhou town to different areas. This decision comes after the township was flooded in early July due to a dike breach in the nearby Dongting Lake.

The newspaper reported that a meeting presided over by Hunan governor Mao Weiming on Sunday afternoon resulted in a plan for locals to be relocated so they could rebuild their homes elsewhere.

Local authorities should accelerate their efforts to complete the task in a high-quality and efficient way and make sure the residents can pursue further development at their new homes, the report said. The report did not contain detailed information about the resettlement plan.

After the dike breach occurred on July 5, an area of 47.6 square kilometers ― 92.5 percent of the township ― flooded. All 7,680 people living in Tuanzhou were transferred to safe places, and there have been no reports of casualties.

Tuanzhou township was established in 1977 after local governments living along Dongting Lake began enclosing tideland for agricultural production. Dikes and embankments were built to separate the townships from each other and the lake. Water from a similar dike breach struck the township in 1996, leaving 14 people dead.

Dongting Lake is China's second-largest freshwater lake. It connects the major rivers of Hunan province with the Yangtze River.