Zanhuang Huai River Ecological Corridor

Affected by urbanization and climate change, the flood risk of the Huai River continues to increase. In 2016, Zanhuang County suffered a major flood disaster, affecting 128,000 people. Highway bridges, tourist facilities, water conservancy facilities, county water supply plants and sewage treatment plants were severely damaged. According to incomplete statistics, 33 km² of cultivated land, 25 km² of forest land, 127 km² of agricultural and forestry crops were damaged, 285 large livestock were lost, and 712 houses collapsed. This brought huge threats to life safety and economic losses to Zanhuang County.

After learning from the profound lessons of major flood disasters and facing the significant limitation that the original flood control facilities could only meet the standard of 1-in-20-year resilience levels, the Zanhuang County government deeply realized the urgency of improving disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities and decisively launched a comprehensive resilience improvement project. This reconstruction work is not carried out in isolation, but is closely coordinated and promoted in an integrated manner with the regional development strategy of embracing the river, aiming to turn crisis into opportunity and achieve a win-win situation for both safety and development.

The reconstruction plan is guided by innovative ideas and systematically proposes four core strategies, which not only respond to local recovery needs, but also actively connect with cutting-edge issues of global sustainable development: Blue-Green Urban Integration; NbS-Driven Flood Resilience; Permeable Connectivity; Polycentric Social Catalysts. It transforms flood control projects into a lifeline of resilience and sets an example for the application of NbS in small and medium-sized cities.