View source for 1998 China floods

{{Short description|Natural disasters in China}}
{{Infobox weather event
|image = China 2011 (6340229422).jpg
|caption = A plaque commemorating the floods
}}{{Infobox weather event/History
|duration = June–September 1998
}}{{Infobox weather event/Effects
|fatalities = 3,704–4,150 dead
|affected = [[Yangtze River]], [[Nen River]], [[Songhua River]], [[Pearl River (China)|Pearl River]]
}}{{Infobox weather event/Footer}}
{{History of the People's Republic of China}}
The '''1998 China floods''' (1998年中国洪水) lasted from middle of June to the beginning of September 1998 in [[China]] at the [[Yangtze River]]<ref name="cnews">Chinanews.com.cn. "[https://archive.today/20130101151742/http://big5.chinanews.com.cn:89/special/guoqing/60/2009/06-25/127.shtml Chinanews.com.cn]." ''98年特大洪水.'' Retrieved on 2009-08-01.</ref> as well as the [[Nen River]], [[Songhua River]]<ref>[http://amur-heilong.net/http/01_climate_waters/0104Climatevariations.html AMUR-HEILONG RIVER BASIN]</ref> and the [[Pearl River (China)|Pearl River]].

==Overview==
In the summer of 1998, [[China]] experienced severe [[flood]]ing of the [[Yangtze River]], the [[Nen River]], the [[Songhua River]] and the [[Pearl River (China)|Pearl River]] after torrential rains took place. Areas that were most threatened associated the Yangtze include the low-lying basins surrounding the [[Dongting Lake|Dongting]] and [[Poyang Lake|Poyang]] lakes, and surrounding provinces in [[Hubei]] and [[Hunan]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Glantz|first1=Michael H.|title=The 1998 Yangtze Floods: The Use of Short-Term Forecasts In The Context of Seasonal to Interannual Water Resource Management|journal=Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change|date=2005|pages=159–165|url=http://www.docin.com/p-255193970.html|accessdate=19 January 2015}}</ref>

===Tolls===
The event was considered the worst [[Northern and southern China|southern China]] flood in 40 years.<ref name="spig">Spignesi, Stephen J. (2004). ''Catastrophe!: the 100 greatest disasters of all time''. Citadel Press. {{ISBN|0-8065-2558-4}}. p 37.</ref> The floods resulted in 3,704 dead, 15 million homeless and $24 billion in economic loss.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20021003172247/http://www.pbs.org/itvs/greatwall/dam1.html Pbs.org]." ''Great wall across the Yangtze.'' Retrieved on 2009-08-01.</ref> Other sources report a total loss of 4,150 people, and 180 million people were affected.<ref name="spig" /> Around {{convert|100000|km2|acre}} were evacuated, and 13.3 million houses were damaged or destroyed.

==Yangtze River flood==
The main cause of the flood was due to above average rainfall in the region for several months before and during the summer of 1998.<ref name="Aftermath of 1998 Yangtze River Flood">{{cite web|last1=You|first1=XinZong|title=Forest and Flood: Aftermath of the 1998 Yangtze River Flood|date=15 April 2012|pages=35|doi=10.14288/1.0075554|url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/1037/items/1.0075554|accessdate=13 December 2015}}</ref> Most areas saw double the normal amount of rainfall during the rainy season, with certain regions seeing rainfall levels as much as nearly three times the historical average.<ref name="Aftermath of 1998 Yangtze River Flood">{{cite web|last1=You|first1=XinZong|title=Forest and Flood: Aftermath of the 1998 Yangtze River Flood|date=15 April 2012|pages=35|doi=10.14288/1.0075554|url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/1037/items/1.0075554|accessdate=13 December 2015}}</ref><ref name="The Use of Short-Term Forecasts">{{cite journal|last1=Ye|first1=Qian|last2=Glantz|first2=Mickey|title=The 1998 Yangtze Floods: The Use of Short-Term Forecasts in the Context of Seasonal to Interannual Water Resource Management|journal=Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change|date=2005|volume=10|issue=159–182|pages=25|doi=10.1007/s11027-005-7838-7|s2cid=154432097 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226223683|accessdate=13 December 2015}}</ref> Combined with above average rainfall since the previous winter, this pushed water levels to above cautionary levels. The floods can be split into three general stages, beginning when one of the strongest subtropical highs in history arrived in the Yangtze River Basin during mid-June and lingered, providing sustained heavy rainfall for a period of roughly two weeks.<ref name="Aftermath of 1998 Yangtze River Flood">{{cite web|last1=You|first1=XinZong|title=Forest and Flood: Aftermath of the 1998 Yangtze River Flood|date=15 April 2012|pages=35|doi=10.14288/1.0075554|url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/1037/items/1.0075554|accessdate=13 December 2015}}</ref><ref name="The Use of Short-Term Forecasts">{{cite journal|last1=Ye|first1=Qian|last2=Glantz|first2=Mickey|title=The 1998 Yangtze Floods: The Use of Short-Term Forecasts in the Context of Seasonal to Interannual Water Resource Management|journal=Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change|date=2005|volume=10|issue=159–182|pages=25|doi=10.1007/s11027-005-7838-7|s2cid=154432097 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226223683|accessdate=13 December 2015}}</ref> As much as 1000&nbsp;mm of precipitation was seen in some locations.<ref name="The Use of Short-Term Forecasts">{{cite journal|last1=Ye|first1=Qian|last2=Glantz|first2=Mickey|title=The 1998 Yangtze Floods: The Use of Short-Term Forecasts in the Context of Seasonal to Interannual Water Resource Management|journal=Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change|date=2005|volume=10|issue=159–182|pages=25|doi=10.1007/s11027-005-7838-7|s2cid=154432097 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226223683|accessdate=13 December 2015}}</ref> After briefly shifting north, the same system eventually returned to the region in mid-July.<ref name="The Use of Short-Term Forecasts">{{cite journal|last1=Ye|first1=Qian|last2=Glantz|first2=Mickey|title=The 1998 Yangtze Floods: The Use of Short-Term Forecasts in the Context of Seasonal to Interannual Water Resource Management|journal=Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change|date=2005|volume=10|issue=159–182|pages=25|doi=10.1007/s11027-005-7838-7|s2cid=154432097 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226223683|accessdate=13 December 2015}}</ref> Although the system had weakened, rainfall during this period was more intense and localized.<ref name="The Use of Short-Term Forecasts">{{cite journal|last1=Ye|first1=Qian|last2=Glantz|first2=Mickey|title=The 1998 Yangtze Floods: The Use of Short-Term Forecasts in the Context of Seasonal to Interannual Water Resource Management|journal=Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change|date=2005|volume=10|issue=159–182|pages=25|doi=10.1007/s11027-005-7838-7|s2cid=154432097 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226223683|accessdate=13 December 2015}}</ref> During this second period of rain, many surrounding lakes and rivers broke record high water levels and overflowed into the Yangtze River, causing a sudden sharp rise in water levels.<ref name="The Use of Short-Term Forecasts">{{cite journal|last1=Ye|first1=Qian|last2=Glantz|first2=Mickey|title=The 1998 Yangtze Floods: The Use of Short-Term Forecasts in the Context of Seasonal to Interannual Water Resource Management|journal=Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change|date=2005|volume=10|issue=159–182|pages=25|doi=10.1007/s11027-005-7838-7|s2cid=154432097 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226223683|accessdate=13 December 2015}}</ref> Another 300-500&nbsp;mm of rain was seen across several areas during this second phase, causing significant damage as it flowed into villages and towns.<ref name="The Use of Short-Term Forecasts">{{cite journal|last1=Ye|first1=Qian|last2=Glantz|first2=Mickey|title=The 1998 Yangtze Floods: The Use of Short-Term Forecasts in the Context of Seasonal to Interannual Water Resource Management|journal=Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change|date=2005|volume=10|issue=159–182|pages=25|doi=10.1007/s11027-005-7838-7|s2cid=154432097 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226223683|accessdate=13 December 2015}}</ref> The final period of rainfall occurred in August, with an average of 150-200&nbsp;mm of rainfall seen in most regions.<ref name="The Use of Short-Term Forecasts">{{cite journal|last1=Ye|first1=Qian|last2=Glantz|first2=Mickey|title=The 1998 Yangtze Floods: The Use of Short-Term Forecasts in the Context of Seasonal to Interannual Water Resource Management|journal=Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change|date=2005|volume=10|issue=159–182|pages=25|doi=10.1007/s11027-005-7838-7|s2cid=154432097 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226223683|accessdate=13 December 2015}}</ref> Although the water had begun to subside at this point, this extra rainfall caused further damage to homes and farmland in the surrounding areas.<ref name="Aftermath of 1998 Yangtze River Flood">{{cite web|last1=You|first1=XinZong|title=Forest and Flood: Aftermath of the 1998 Yangtze River Flood|date=15 April 2012|pages=35|doi=10.14288/1.0075554|url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/1037/items/1.0075554|accessdate=13 December 2015}}</ref><ref name="The Use of Short-Term Forecasts">{{cite journal|last1=Ye|first1=Qian|last2=Glantz|first2=Mickey|title=The 1998 Yangtze Floods: The Use of Short-Term Forecasts in the Context of Seasonal to Interannual Water Resource Management|journal=Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change|date=2005|volume=10|issue=159–182|pages=25|doi=10.1007/s11027-005-7838-7|s2cid=154432097 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226223683|accessdate=13 December 2015}}</ref> It was also during this period that the dikes began to break, causing further death and widespread damage to property.<ref name="The Use of Short-Term Forecasts">{{cite journal|last1=Ye|first1=Qian|last2=Glantz|first2=Mickey|title=The 1998 Yangtze Floods: The Use of Short-Term Forecasts in the Context of Seasonal to Interannual Water Resource Management|journal=Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change|date=2005|volume=10|issue=159–182|pages=25|doi=10.1007/s11027-005-7838-7|s2cid=154432097 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226223683|accessdate=13 December 2015}}</ref>

== Impact on environmental policy ==
The 1998 flood marks a turning point in [[Environmental policy in China|China's environmental policy]].<ref name=":9">{{Cite book |title=Greening East Asia: The Rise of the Eco-Developmental State |date=2020 |publisher=[[University of Washington Press]] |isbn=978-0-295-74791-0 |editor-last=Esarey |editor-first=Ashley |location=Seattle |jstor=j.ctv19rs1b2 |editor-last2=Haddad |editor-first2=Mary Alice |editor-last3=Lewis |editor-first3=Joanna I. |editor-last4=Harrell |editor-first4=Stevan}}</ref>{{Rp|page=26}} Through the 1980s and early 1990s, China had not prioritized domestic environmental matters.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=26}} State policy began changing in the mid-1990s to become more protective of the environment, with the pace of change accelerating following the 1998 floods.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=26}} After investigating, government scientists attributed much of the cause for flooding to upstream deforestation that had occurred during logging booms in the previous two decades.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=26}} State regulation of environmental issues became more active, with the [[State Environmental Protection Administration|State Environmental Projection Administration]] aggressively campaigning against deforestation, curbing excessive water use during irrigation, and emphasizing decarbonization of China's energy supplies.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=26}}

==See also==
*[[1931 China floods]]
*[[List of natural disasters by death toll]]
*[[Natural disasters in China]]
*[[Songhua River]]
*[[Tofu-dreg project]]
*[[Yangtze]]
*[[Gao Jiancheng]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://hk.geocities.com/flooding1998/index2.html 1998 Changjiang Flooding Mini-report] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20091027025244/http://hk.geocities.com/flooding1998/index2.html Archived] 2009-10-22)
([https://web.archive.org/web/20091027025244/http://hk.geocities.com/flooding1998/index2.html  Archived 2009-10])
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060509053414/http://earth.esa.int/DATA_UTIL/ndis/flood/china/china.html China: Yangtze River Flood (July-August 1998)]  [[European Space Agency|ESA]] Earthnet Online Earth Observation

{{DEFAULTSORT:1998 Yangtze River Floods}}
[[Category:Jiang Zemin]]
[[Category:Yangtze River floods]]
[[Category:1998 natural disasters|China floods]]
[[Category:1990s floods in Asia]]
[[Category:1998 floods]]
[[Category:1998 disasters in China|Yangtze]]
[[Category:June 1998 in China]]
[[Category:July 1998 in China]]
[[Category:August 1998 in China]]
[[Category:September 1998 in China]]