The surface area of the Dongting Lake will be restored by 2010 to 4,350 square kilometers, the lake’s size before the foundation of the People’s Republic of China. The local migration project is already in full wing. Recently, the project’s broad-spectrum plan for the Dongting Lake area in Hunan Province, dubbed the “4350 Project,” was made known to the public.

The “4350 Project” covers the 23 counties of Hunan Province, all of which connect with the Dongting Lake, including eight counties of Yueyang City, eight counties of Changde City, five counties of Yiyang City, and two counties of Changsha City, the capital city of Hunan.

According to the plan, farmland adjacent to 12 dykes in the 23 counties will be restored to the lake from 2003 to 2010. As a result, the Dongting Lake will return to its former size of 4,350 square kilometers once the lake’s water level rise to its full height during the flood season. Various methods of resettlement will be employed to guarantee the smooth relocation of some 1.02 million local residents currently living alongside the 12 dykes in the area.

The Dongting Lake area is a major grain and cotton production base in China. However, due to people’s lack of knowledge concerning the important relationships which exist between humans and nature, soil erosion in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River as well as the valley areas of the four rivers (Xiangjiang River, Zijiang River, Yuanjiang River and Lishui River, all of which converge into the Dongting Lake) has reached crisis point. Large amounts of silt have been deposited in the lake region. The lake’s surface area has decreased dramatically from 6,000 square kilometers in 1825 to 4,350 square kilometers just before the founding of the PRC. By 1995, the lake’s surface area had shrunk to just 2,625 square kilometers.

As the riverbed and lake’s water level continue to rise, flood storage and the carrying capacity of the Dongting Lake has gradually diminished. The contrasts between the needs of humans and those of lake have been highlighted by the increasing frequency of floods in the area. Direct economic losses, as a result of flooding, have been dramatic. In 1996 and 1998 economic losses amounted to 15 billion yuan (US$1.81 billion) and 8.9 billion yuan (US$1.07 billion) respectively.

According to the “4350 Project,” measures for the resettlement are to be conducted in line with local conditions. Dispersed resettlement will be combined with collective resettlement and government directed resettlement with individuals being sent to live with relatives and friends. The resettlement process will also consider agricultural production as a top priority when selecting appropriate sites.

(china.org.cn by Zhang Tingting, September 26, 2002)