"Outrage Online as China Diverts Floodwater Towards Populated Areas"
Nearly 1 million people in China's Hebei province were relocated after record rains caused authorities to divert water from swollen rivers to populated areas for storage, leading to online anger over the sacrifice of homes to save Beijing. The Hai River basin, which includes Hebei, Beijing, and Tianjin, experienced its most serious flooding in six decades. Flood control laws allow for water to be temporarily channeled to "flood storage areas" when reservoirs exceed their limits. However, residents in these areas expressed anger and claimed they were unaware of living in flood storage areas. The Hebei provincial government has not responded to requests for comment.