Jialu River Breach in Henan Closed After 45-Hour Emergency Effort
Emergency crews successfully closed the 117-meter embankment breach on the Jialu River in Zhoukou, Henan Province, at 20:29 on August 15, ending a 45-hour continuous operation that prevented further flooding in the region. The closure came after the breach, which first appeared late on August 13, threatened to expand and inundate additional areas surrounding the city, according to Xinhua News.
Flood Crisis Triggered by Typhoon
The breach was caused by the combined effects of upstream inflow from the Jialu River and backwater pressure from the Shaying River, which was experiencing flood conditions. The area was affected by Typhoon “White Dolphin” and its residual circulation, which brought sustained heavy rainfall to Henan Province. According to Henan Daily via ifeng.com, the storm produced the strongest rainstorm since the flood season began, with comprehensive intensity ranking as the fourth strongest since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
The Shaying River experienced its 2026 No. 1 flood, with water levels rising to warning stage at the Zhoukou hydrological station on August 12. The same weather system triggered two other embankment breaches in Henan: the Qingyi River breach in Yanling County, Xuchang, which was closed at 23:56 on August 15, and the North Ru River civilian embankment breach in Jia County, Pingdingshan, which was closed at 20:06 on August 14.
The Breach and Immediate Impact
At approximately 23:00 on August 13, the embankment on the east bank of the Jialu River near the Xinbeihuan (New North Ring Road) bridge in Chuanhui District gave way. The breach initially measured about 30 meters wide but expanded to a maximum of approximately 117 meters due to high-velocity water scouring, as reported by China News.
The flooding affected the Zhoukou Fifth People’s Hospital campus and a driving school, with maximum water depth reaching 1.5 meters. A total of 455 trapped people—380 hospital patients and staff plus 75 driving school personnel—were successfully evacuated by August 14 at noon, according to China News.
Coordinated Emergency Response
The response mobilized multiple layers of government and specialized forces. The National Flood Control Headquarters Office and the Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched work groups to guide on-site operations and deployed China Anneng engineering rescue teams with 200 personnel and 110 units of large engineering equipment, including power pontoon bridges, amphibious excavators, and loaders, as confirmed by the Ministry of Emergency Management.
The Armed Police Henan Corps Zhoukou Detachment arrived at the scene on the morning of August 14 and filled more than 8,000 sandbags, while the Zhoukou Fire Rescue Detachment mobilized 290 firefighters from seven surrounding brigades for search and rescue operations. Zhoukou City declared a state of emergency flood period on August 14, requiring all party members and cadres to be on duty.
Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying and Henan Provincial Party Secretary Liu Ning traveled to Zhoukou and Xuchang to guide flood control operations, emphasizing the principle of “no deaths, control spread; store upstream, drain downstream; block the breach, strengthen drainage,” according to China Water Resources.
The 45-Hour Closure Operation
Rescue teams worked around the clock to close the breach using a combination of two-way advancement from both ends and a mix of flat blocking and vertical blocking methods. Jiang Dewen, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Emergency Management Natural Disaster Engineering Rescue Wuhan Base, described the nighttime strategy: “For nighttime operations, the rescue teams adopted a ‘people rest, machines don’t; continuous shifts’ work model, concentrating large engineering machinery on two core tasks: reinforcement of both sides of the breach and construction of passing platforms, to fully curb the expansion of the breach.”
Drone operators played a critical role in the operation. Zhao Zengguang, a fire rescue drone operator, noted that “the drone mainly monitors flow velocity and water level, with footage transmitted back to the command center in real time.” High-power lighting drones illuminated the work site throughout the night, enabling continuous operations.
By 14:46 on August 15, closure progress exceeded 70 meters—more than 60 percent complete. The final closure was achieved at 20:29 that evening.
Evacuation and Shelter Operations
A total of 781 people were evacuated from the affected area with no casualties reported, according to Dazhong News/Haibao News. The Chuanhui District Central Elderly Care Home served as a primary shelter, housing 344 people, including 280 villagers from Zhouzhuang and others from welfare and elderly care institutions.
Shelters provided air conditioning, regular meals, and bathing facilities. Wang Xia (pseudonym), an evacuated villager from Zhouzhuang Village, described fleeing in the middle of the night: “I came over in the middle of the night the day before yesterday, didn’t bring any big items, just ran out in the clothes I was wearing. The most important thing right now is to keep people safe.”
Central Government Support and Broader Response
The Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Emergency Management urgently allocated 80 million yuan in central natural disaster relief funds to support Henan, Hubei, and Anhui provinces. Additionally, 30,000 pieces of central disaster relief supplies were dispatched. For drainage operations in Zhoukou city, 13 drainage teams from Henan, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, Hunan and other provinces were deployed with professional equipment.
Water management measures included directing six large reservoirs upstream (including Qianping and Yanshan) to store water and fully opening control gates at Zhoukou and Fuyang on the Shaying River to discharge floodwater through the Cihuai New River into the Huai River mainstream, as detailed by China Daily.
What’s Next
While the breach has been successfully closed, the Shaying River’s flood peak has passed through the Zhoukou section, but water levels are expected to remain above warning levels for the next two days. The Ministry of Water Resources will continue to guide local authorities in reinforcing the closed section against seepage, strengthening levee patrols, and completing drainage operations in flooded areas.
For the evacuated residents, recovery will take time. Villagers reported significant property losses, including flooded crops of corn and peanuts, stored wheat, and household appliances. As one resident noted, the immediate priority was safety: “The most important thing right now is to keep people safe.” The successful closure of the breach marks a critical milestone in the flood control effort, but the broader recovery and reconstruction work in the affected areas is just beginning.