11-meter dike breach in Inner Mongolia sealed after overnight effort

A breach in a dike along a river in Chifeng city, North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, measuring 11 meters long, flooded 9,000 mu (600 hectares) of farmland. Following overnight efforts by local rescue teams, the breach was fully sealed by midday on Wednesday, according to China Central Television.

A total of 821 residents had been relocated with no casualties reported so far, CCTV reported. 

According to the local flood control and drought relief headquarters in Chifeng, a breach occurred along a section of the dike alongside the Laoha River in Songshan district on Tuesday, with the depth of the floodwater reaching as deep as 2.5 meters, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday. 

The city immediately launched an IV-level emergency response for flood control and dispatched rescue forces to evacuate local residents and carry out rescue work. A total of 821 residents from 112 households from two villages were relocated to nearby temporary accommodation, local primary schools or clinics, with no casualties reported, according to Xinhua.

Despite of a round 9,000 mu of farmland was reported as being flooded, the floodwater did not flow into the village. 

Following an all-out effort by rescue forces made up of over 700 people from the military, armed police, fire fighter department and other professional rescue forces, the breach was closed by 4.5 meters as of 5:30 am on Wednesday, Xinhua reported on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters dispatched an expert team to Inner Mongolia to assist and guide flood control and disaster relief work. The Ministry of Emergency Management urgently deployed 100 personnel and 35 rescue equipment units from a natural disaster engineering rescue base in Tangshan city, North China’s Hebei Province to the site and coordinated with surrounding state-owned enterprises to mobilize 460 personnel, 56 equipment units, and four helicopters, according to media reports. 

The Ministry of Water Resources on Tuesday activated a major flood and drought disaster dispatch and command mechanism, conducting consultations to assess the scope of the flood’s impact. They issued eight targeted emergency response recommendations, including immediately delineating the risk area affected by the breach, ensuring the immediate evacuation of all personnel within the risk area, and closing all reservoirs upstream of the breach. Authorities from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region also dispatched experts to provide on-site guidance, China Central Television reported on Tuesday.