Ethical dilemmas of emergency flood diversion

Recent studies have led to a renewed interest in the justice issue of whether people are equally protected under climate change. While flood risk is inherently unfair since it is unevenly distributed across geographical space, particularly in areas close to water bodies, emergency flood diversion, which aims to divert excessive floodwater from swollen rivers to rural areas to reduce flood levels near protected cities, can further alter the distribution of flood risk, resulting in significant flood losses for marginalized communities. Previous research has primarily focused on the economic impacts of such diversions. This chapter introduces a critical cultural perspective: the transfer of flood risk not only leads to economic losses but also results in the erosion of local knowledge and long-term effects on livelihoods. These issues will be examined through a case study of the 2022 Beijiang River flooding in China. In June 2022, continuous heavy rainfall caused the Beijiang River’s water levels to rise significantly, threatening downstream cities such as Foshan and Guangzhou. To prevent flooding in these urban areas, a large amount of floodwater was retained in the middle stream of the Beijiang River. Jiangnan Village, a traditional village rich in culture and located in the middle stream, was deliberately flooded. The findings emphasize the importance of considering cultural and social dimensions alongside economic factors when assessing the consequences of flood mitigation efforts, particularly in rural and marginalized communities. In the face of increasing flood risk under climate change, it advocates for the development of more just strategies to protect local culture and knowledge in flood-prone rural areas.