Summary Narrative Post-Flood Resettlement in the Poyang Lake Region, Jiangxi Province, China Page 1 of 7 Best Practices Database

Best Practices Database: Post-flood resettlement in the Poyang Lake Region, Jiangxi Province, China Page 1 of 7

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Post-flood resettlement in the Poyang Lake Region, Jiangxi Province, China China

Categories: Urban Governance: - institutional reform -partnership development -public policy Level of Activity: Provincial/State Ecosystem: River Basin

Summary

During the summer of 1998, extraordinarily, severe floods occurred in the middle and lower areas of the Yangtze River. Jiangxi Province was among the worst stricken areas. Faced with this situation, the Chinese Government laid down guidelines for flood control and post-disaster reconstruction. These guidelines focused on restoring the natural flow and flood plains of the river and involved the relocation of human settlements from high-risk areas, while taking advantage of the resettlement to effect universal improvements in the living environment.

The central government appropriated RMB 10.1 billion (US$ 1.22 billion) for the implementation of the 'Resettlement in the Stricken Areas Project' (RISAP). Jiangxi Province's share of this project covers four phases, entailing the migration and resettlement of 221,000 households and 908,200 people with a total subsidy of RMB 3.532 billion (US$ 427 million). The first phase involved the leveling of 234 embankments and dykes and the resettlement of 115,000 households (467,500 people) with the utilization of half of the total subsidy. From 1998 to 2000, 1,259 people living in villages and towns were evacuated and 37 new towns, 150 primary villages and 856 secondary villages, established.

Currently, 470,000 people are re-housed in locations that are no longer risk-prone and now benefit from much improved living environment and quality of life. The initiative provides a new model not only for the sustainable improvement of human settlements but also a model for restoring and protecting the ecology of river courses and lakes.

Narrative

SITUATION BEFORE THE INITIATIVE BEGAN

Much of China's history has been centered around the struggle between human activity and the flow and flooding of the Yangtze River. For centuries efforts have been made to dyke the river, to contain its course and to use the fertile flood plains for agriculture. Because of the conflict between its natural function of water collection and excessive land reclamation, Poyang Lake became increasingly liable to floods and outbreaks of schistosomiasis. This condition came to mind in 1998, when floods overwhelmed vast stretches of reclaimed land, causing damage to more than 4,000,000 household; and rendering 1,590,000 people homeless.

ESTABLISHMENT OF PRIORITIES

The overall policy was clearly established by Central Government to restore the natural water holding function of the lake as part of a comprehensive effort to restore the flow and flood plains of the Yangtse River. This policy entailed the resettlement of human activity outside the floodplains of the lake. Jiangxi Province's share of the first phase of resettlement work accounted for 49.4% of the total task assigned by the central government. To ensure successful implementation, the Jiangxi provincial government established the following priorities: (a) leveling the embankments that were blocking the flood flow of the Yangtse River and undermining the flood-storage capacity of the Poyang Lake; (b) resettling the http://www.bestpractices.org/cgi-bin/bp98.cgi?cmd=detail&id=20882&key=Eppyfgjbkdfdag 28/02/2003 Best Practices Database: Post-flood resettlement in the Poyang Lake Region, Jiangxi Province, China Page 2 of 7

inhabitants living in the low-lying areas within the embankments to higher ground; (c) building a number of more concentrated new villages and towns to enable the government to provide infrastructure and basic services as part of an overall policy of rural urbanisation to improve working and living conditions of the people concerned.

FORMULATION OF OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES

The Jiangxi provincial government set the following objectives: (a) start the relocation and construction by mid-October 1998; (b) complete the ground floor of new houses before the Chinese New Year in 1999; (c) complete within two years the necessary infrastructure and basic services. These objectives and targets were established in order to put people's needs and welfare first so as to enable the displaced people and families to have decent shelter and restore their productive lives as quickly as possible.

It also adopted the following work strategy: (a) launch an extensive publicity and social mobilization campaign to fully inform people of the projects and involve them in decision-making; (b) strengthen the leadership and organizational framework for implementation; (c) adopt a set of preferential policies to lessen the financial burden on the people and communities concerned; (d) ensure solid central coordination of the plans and project design to avoid gaps and overlaps; and (e) deal with the resettlement and reconstruction on an individual and case-by-case basis. In addition to the above, the overall strategy called for the new settlements to be implemented with a complete set of infrastructure and basic services to enhance living conditions and the proper functioning of new towns and villages and to make rational use of land so as to ensure the long-term sustainability of the new settlements.

MOBILIZATION OF RESOURCES

The Jiangxi provincial government held several meetings to mobilize financial, technical and human resources for this project. About 10,000 public officials were selected from the three spheres of governments and sent to the countryside to provide managerial and technical support for the post-disaster reconstruction. A publicity campaign was carried out to inform those affected by the migration and resettlement of: (a) the central government's deep concern for and priority accorded to the welfare of the local population; (b) the implications of the new guidelines for long-term sustainable development; and (c) the preferential policies adopted for migration and resettlement. The information campaign was intended to ensure that all citizens involved were informed of the phases of the project, how the project would affect them and to solicit their inputs and participation.

All spheres of government played an active role in organizing and guiding the implementation of this project and in issuing preferential policies. They raised additional funds through various channels to finance the project over and above the state subsidy of RMB 15,000 (US$ 2,000) per household. This combined approach to information and fund-raising resulted in showing of enthusiasm by the 470,000 migrants as well as the active participation of thousands of other citizens and organisations in providing donations and voluntary services to the project. Funds raised and their use were carefully managed by municipal and provincial authorities and regularly audited to ensure proper use, accountability and transparency with severe fines being applied to the misuse of funds.

PROCESS

Establishment of migrant identity: In order to determine who was to be resettled, the Jiangxi provincial government prescribed that the beneficiaries should comprise of those living both within the embankments to be leveled and in places below the height of 23m by Hukou water stage, Wusong altitude (the highest flood stage being 22.58m in 1998.). It also prescribed the principle of treating all migrants as households so as to benefit from the full range of subsidies, services and assistance. Each district was responsible for determining the number of households, thus devolving a critical phase of the project to the sphere of government closest to the people with civil servants specially assigned to the task to ensure that the process was as accurate and transparent as possible.

Selection of the sites for resettlement: It was required that all the sites for resettlements be located in places above 23m by the water stage of Hukou (Wusong altitude). The selection of the sites should be conducive to the construction of small towns in rural areas, that is, the residential areas should be comparatively concentrated; with a particular focus on market towns and central villages. Their location should be convenient for the migrants in the pursuit of productive livelihoods and a good living environment, namely proximity to reliable water sources, convenient mobility and communication, and power supply. In addition, planning should optimize land use so as to avoid wastage of productive land.

Organization of planning and design: In order to provide the best possible plans and designs for the post-disaster reconstruction, the provincial government, with the support of the Ministry of Construction, invited 812 experts from more than 30 planning and design institutes to assist in project design and planning. These institutes included Qinghua University and the Urban Planning & Design Research Institute of China. The Construction Department of Jiangxi Province organized more than 100 experts to compile a collection of rural house designs, providing 21 housing typologies to guide the post- disaster reconstruction. 2700 volumes of this collection were printed and distributed to all the resettlement sites free of charge so as to provide more choices for the migrants.

Implementation of reconstruction: As soon as the sites for reconstruction were determined, the requisition of land began and efforts were made to provide transport infrastructure, water and electricity supply, site preparations and the procurement of building materials. Plots for individual households were allocated immediately upon completion of the http://www.bestpractices.org/cgi-bin/bp98.cgi?cmd=detail&id=20882&key=Eppyfgjbkdfdag 28/02/2003 Best Practices Database: Post-flood resettlement in the Poyang Lake Region, Jiangxi Province, China Page 3 of 7

above and the release of state subsidies was carefully coordinated and synchronized with each households own efforts. In order to guarantee the quality of construction, nearly a thousand technicians from different spheres of governments were sent out to each settlement to provide technical assistance.

Infrastructure: The county and township governments took on the responsibility to construct infrastructure and public facilities for the new settlements; focusing mainly on roads, water and power supply, the construction of schools, hospitals and welfare houses, as well as green spaces with provincial and municipal departments responsible for planning, finance, water conservancy, and construction, providing technical and financial assistance.

Migrants' livelihood after resettlement: To ensure the sustainable livelihood of migrants after resettlement, provisions were made for occupations in secondary or tertiary sectors. Those wishing to continue farming were each given one mu (0.06 hectares) of field and hillside land per capita. Many were encouraged to change their production habits and adopt farming practices compatible with floodplains, such as tree plantations, livestock breeding and aquaculture.

RESULTS ACHIEVED

The migration and resettlement project has provided a historic opportunity for the 115,000 households of the lake region to avoid a millennium old vicious cycle of flooding and devastation and to vastly improve their living environment. In April 2000, the first phase of the migration and resettlement project passed all of the approval criteria established by the provincial government.

During the three years, there have been more than 20,000 public servants and 600,000 local people committed to this project. The total investment of the first phase amounted to RMB 3.29 billion (US$ 398 million) of which RMB 2.76 billion (US$ 334 million) was used for building houses, and RMB 530 million (US$ 64 million) for infrastructure. The total area of construcution includes 12,950,000m2 for new houses and 2,680,000 m2 for other buildings. In the new settlements, the average area of construction includes 27.7 m2 per capita; road area and public green space cover 25 m2 and 2.5 m2 respectively, which is higher than the provincial average for rural towns.

Moreover, power and water supplies, road traffic, and postal service are now available for every household. Taking advantage of the resettlement, many migrants have built facilities for the use of bio-gas which has greatly improved sanitary conditions as well as the production of energy in an environmentally sound manner. With the implementation of this project, more than 470,000 inhabitants of the Poyang Lake area are now benefiting from improved land-use patterns, more diversified economic opportunities and access to basic services and modern facilities. The residential and living environments of the migrants have been fundamentally improved and many people who know the region can hardly believe the quantum leap in quality of life that has occurred.

SUSTAINABILITY

Environmental sustainability: Since many dykes and embankments have been leveled and vast stretches of reclaimed land have given way to water bodies, the natural ecological environment of the Poyang Lake area has been greatly improved: its flood storage area has extended from the pre-project 3900km2 to 5100km2; the flood storage capacity has increased by 6.7 billion m3 , approximately equivalent to that of 1954. This improvement has greatly strengthened the flood-resistant capacity of the Poyang Lake area and the adjunct areas.

Social sustainability: The successful implementation of the project and of its overall goal of "Settling down in the first year, recovering in the second year, developing in the third" has been attained. This success has laid a solid foundation for the local peasants to pursue a more productive life, accelerated the pace of small-town construction, and promoted the urbanization of rural areas in Jiangxi Province. The Poyang Lake area used to be a high-incidence area of schistosomiasis. The peasants, especially women, had been vulnerable to this disease owing to their prolonged contact with lake water and its shores. In spite of the effort made by the local government, this disease was far from being satisfactorily controlled. However, the implementation of this project has provided good opportunity for prevention, as the new settlements are intentionally located at a safe distance from high-risk areas and the chance of infection has been radically reduced.

This improvement is further enhanced by the availability of hospitals and public sanitary facilities in the new settlements, where residents have access to medical care and prevention services provided by the government. As a result, the incidence of schistosomiasis is now effectively controlled in the Poyang Lake area and the health of the local people has markedly improved. As many new villages and towns have been constructed one after another, the cultural life in the countryside has become more diverse. For example, Wuchen Town of Yongxiu County used to be one of the most famous towns in Jiangxi Province, but it has declined in modern times because of the recession of water transport. Recently, this town has built a new street with local characteristics and has since attracted local tourism.

LESSONS LEARNED

A project of this scale cannot fail to provide some valuable experience for further endeavors, although much of the experience should probably be viewed in its own context. Generally speaking, the main experience lies in the organization and management of this project, which can be explained in the following four aspects.

Effective leadership and organization: The Jiangxi provincial government has attached great importance to this resettlement http://www.bestpractices.org/cgi-bin/bp98.cgi?cmd=detail&id=20882&key=Eppyfgjbkdfdag 28/02/2003 Best Practices Database: Post-flood resettlement in the Poyang Lake Region, Jiangxi Province, China Page 4 of 7

project since its inception. It adopted a series of new policies and established the Provincial Headquarters of Migration and Resettlement in High-risk Areas Project. It has endeavored to mobilize all the social forces to participate in or support this project. Each sphere of local government in the project area has also set up corresponding organisations and assigned many officers exclusively to this task. Meanwhile, new rules and regulations for project management have been adopted to ensure cost effectiveness, quality control and timely implementation.

Coordination, quality control and accountability: Many sound principles for the management of public resources and funds have been adopted by this project. These include effective coordination between different services and spheres of government; centralised procurement of building materials to save money and improve efficiency; separate accounting and budget for each household to keep track of the effective use of grants and subsidies; improved quality and cost control for public works. The most fundamental change has been the elimination of monopoly of contracts and procurement, thus effectively preventing corruption in contract bidding, quality supervision and fund management. Because of the application of these principles, the migrants have been greatly encouraged to take active participation in public affairs and management and have a renewed confidence in the running of local government.

Preferential policies: Jiangxi provincial government issued eight preferential policies for the resettlement, including the reduction or exemption of the agricultural tax; the occupancy tax of cultivated land; house duty; land use tax; fees for construction of public works and upgrading of power supply, etc. The average tax and fee reduction surpasses RMB 3,000 (US$ 363) per capita. Based on the local situation, each local government also laid down preferential policies to alleviate the migrants' burden of resettlement and reconstruction.

Demonstration projects and new models of public administration: Jiangxi provincial government has chosen 12 market towns and 19 central villages as models for demonstration, and given them more preferential policies and support in terms of construction funds, technical guidance, as well as stricter checks before acceptance. The effects of these measures are remarkable. In order to strengthen the administration, the provincial government issued several new policies in support of the rule of law. These policies are now benefiting other villages and towns across the province and provide for transparency and accountability in local administration, including the use of recourse.

TRANSFERABILITY

Several of the lessons learned from previous experiences in post-disaster reconstruction were applied to the implementation of the resettlement project in Jiangxi Province. In particular, lessons were adopted from Anhui Province's successful experience in post-disaster reconstruction regarding the compilation of various plans and designs for the new settlements, central procurement and supply of construction materials, the supervision of construction quality, leadership and organization (see Anhui's 1996 award-winning best practice in post-disaster reconstruction at: www.bestpractices.org ). These lessons allowed the government of Jiangxi Province to undertake the necessary reforms and adjustments in policy, rules and regulations to facilitate the implementation of this project. This integration of experience has contributed to the success of this project and in turn created new experience which are now finding their way into new policies and legislation and new methods of public administration and management.

The successful experience of this project has been widely propagated through meetings held by the National Planning Commission, the Ministry of Construction, and the Ministry of Water Resources. As a matter of fact, other provinces and regions have already adopted several lessons derived from our experience in implementing similar initiatives along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Along the Yangtze Valley, there is also a common need to increase the flood-resistant capacity through the restoration of natural floodplains. Therefore, migration and resettlement is almost inevitable and many of the people and leaders of Jiangxi are actively engaged in sharing our experience and expertise with other communities along the river in the hope of providing more sustainable and risk-free living and working conditions for millions of Chinese peasants.

Key Dates

From June to September 1998: Devastating floods occurred;

September 9, 1998: Establishment of guidelines for emergency relief and post disaster rehabilitation;

October 23, 1998: Commencement of extensive mobilization

April 2000: Provincial acceptance survey and evaluation;

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June 3, 2000: Review and commendation meeting.

References

1. President Jiang Zemin, Carry Forward the Spirit of Fighting Flood, Rebuild Our Hometown, Develop the Economy, published both in Jiangxi Daily, and People's Daily, page 1, September 8,1998. Abstract: In the summer of 1998, extraordinarily immense floods occurred in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in a way rarely preceded in history. To cope with this situation, the Chinese Government made emergent mobilizations and took exceptional measures. President Jiang Zemin had been to the flood-fighting front of the Yangtze River twice and made the important speech, Carry Forward the Spirit of Fighting Flood, Rebuild Our Hometown, Develop the Economy at Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province on September 4, 1998.

2. Zhang Sutang, and others, Earnest Response to the Important Speech of General Secretary Jiang Zemin, Effective Implementation of Post-disaster Reconstruction and Rivers Regulation, Jiangxi Daily, page 1, September 14, 1988. Abstract: In response to the instructions from the speech made by P. R.C President Jiang Zemin during his inspection on the work of fighting flood and providing disaster relief in Jiangxi Province, Premier Zhu Rongji of the State Council made a series of inspection tours during the period from September 7 to 12, 1998, covering Hubei, Jiangxi, Hunan, Suichuan, provinces and Chongqin Municipality. Whereby, he investigated the post-disaster reconstruction work and defined the guideline for it as Leveling the embankments to discharge the flood, returning the reclaimed fields to the lakes, migrating people from the high-risk areas and resettle them. (That is, restoring the original lake areas through giving up the reclaimed fields, and effecting necessary migration and resettlement in the high-risk areas.) Moreover, he made some arrangements for implementing the post-disaster reconstruction and river regulation.

3. Yu Qingchu, and others, The Poyang Lake Area: Monumental Achievements of Migration and Resettlement in High-risk Area, People's Daily, page 4, April 10, 1999. Abstract: The migration and resettlement in high-risk areas of Jiangxi Province had solicited special attention from the central news agencies as well as the central government. In early April, 1999, Yu Qingchu, Zhang Jianlin and Yu Tanwen, reporters from People's Daily, went to Jiangxi Province to report on the migration and resettlement work there. Having seen the tremendous changes in the stricken areas of the Poyang Lake, they commended that the achievement made in migration and resettlement is an eternal monument in the hearts of the local people.

4. Liao Guoliang, For the Safety of 600,000 from the Threat of Flood, Economy Daily, page 5, August 22,2000. Abstract: Liao Guoliang, head of Economy Daily reporters stationed in Jiangxi Province, had been to the Poyang Lake area time and again, and interviewed the local authorities and ordinary people regarding the migration and resettlement there. He concluded that migration and resettlement in the high-risk areas is a fundamental strategy for controlling flood disasters, a project of immense responsibility, and an effective measure to stimulate the economy as well.

5. Yang Xilin, A Great Migration of the Century, Wenhui Daily, page 10, August 8, 2000. Abstract: Yang Xilin, a senior reporter of Jiangxi Daily, describes with numerous facts the migration and resettlement work in the stricken areas of the Poyang Lake. He points out that this great migration is a new campaign, which outweighs the one fighting the flood in scale, in difficulty, in influence as well as in significance.

6. Jiang Chuan, Every Family Enjoys A Harmless Poyang Lake, Jiangxi Daily, edition A , page 2, January 12, 2001. Abstract: Jiang Chuan, a reporter from Jiangxi Daily, describes the migration and resettlement work in the Poyang Lake area as a happy festival.. He relates The whole Poyang Lake area has turned into an immense construction site; people of all walks of life---public servants, migrants, engineers, construction workers, and so on, are all out, bustling vigorously; traffic and activities are in full swing everywhere.

7. Xiong Dan, New Settlements By the Poyang Lake, China Construction Daily, page 7, March 27, 2001. Abstract: Xiong Dan, a reporter of China Construction Daily, made a comprehensive report on the whole process of the phase-one migration and resettlement work in Jiangxi Province. Her report shows the impressive achievements made in the migration and resettlement, and reveals the joy of those in the Poyang Lake area who used to be affected by the floods but now benefit from the first phase of the project.

8. Headquarters of Jiangxi Migration & Resettlement Work, Implementation of Migration and Resettlement Work, Improvement of Ecological Environment in the Poyang Lake Area, Guide to China's Economy, edition C, page 4, August 2, 2001. Abstract: This article gives a comprehensive description of the approaches and achievements concerning the first phase of the migration and resettlement in the flood-stricken areas of Jiangxi Province, and explains how the ecological environment of the Poyang Lake area undergoes a fundamental improvement through the implementation of this migration and resettlement project. It also demonstrates the great popularity of the project among the local people.

9. Tao Guofang and others, Provincial Government's Meeting Honoring Migration and Resettlement Works, Jiangxi Daily, page 1, June 4, 2000. Abstract: This report informs that Jiangxi Provincial Government held a meeting in Nanchang City on June 3, 2000,. In the

meeting, reviews were made over the initial phase of migration and resettlement work and whereby the outstanding work of some units and individuals were cited, which indicated the basic conclusion of the initial phase of the migration and resettlement work in Jiangxi Province.

10. A Schematic Presentation of the Sites Involved in the First Phase of Post-disaster Migration and Resettlement Project in Jiangxi Province The map of North Jiangxi is used to provide a direct impression of the migration work involved in the first phase of the project. It indicates the names of the residential areas involved in migration and the numbers of the families and people concerned. In addition, forms and tables are used to show the situation of resettlements in each county.

11. The General Layout of the Post-disaster Resettlement of Huangpojing Central Village, Lixin Township, Yongxiu County, Jiangxi Province Huangpojing Village is a central village of Lixin Township, Yongxiu County, Jiangxi Province. It is selected by the provincial government as a demonstrative model of migration and resettlement at the first phase. The new settlement of this village has been jointly designed and planned by Urban Planning & Design Research Institute of China and Yongxiu County Construction Bureau. The construction of the new village has been carried out strictly in accordance with the plan.

Contact

Song Chenguang Ma Zhiwu Qi Hong Provincial Construction Department, Provincial Government, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, China 330046

Tel: 86 - 0791 - 6286121/6227156/6223994 Fax: 86 - 0791 - 6229054/6223994 E-mail: [email protected]

Type of Organization: Local Authority

Nominating Organization

Ministry of Construction, People's Republic of China No.9 Sanlihe Road, Beijing, China Post code: 100835

Tel: 86 - 010 - 68394750 Fax: 86 - 010 - 68394749 E-mail: [email protected] Type of Organization: Central Government

Partners

The State Development Commission Shi Bo People's Republic of China, 38 Yuetan Nan Street, Xi Cheng District, Beijing, China;

Type of Organization: Central Government Type of Partner Support: Financial, Political and Technical support

Local governments of different levels in Jiangxi Province Zhao Zehua Provincial Government, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China;

Type of Organization: Local Authority Type of Partner Support: Financial, Political and Technical support

Financial Profile

YEAR Total budget Partner A % Partner B %

X '000 US$

1998 105,700 70 30

1999 264,200 46 54

2000 26,480 50 50

Email questions or problems to [email protected].

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