First-level emergency response to upstream flood prevention! Qinhuai River embankment was accused of hollowing out to build high-end restaurants? Reporter Investigation →
In Nanjing, Jiangsu, the Qinhuai River passes through the city and is a tributary of the lower Yangtze River. Recently, the water level of the Qinhuai River has remained high due to the large flow of incoming water from the Yangtze River and the upstream rainfall. Nanjing has initiated a first-level emergency response to flood control in the Qinhuai River Basin. The Nanjing Taxation Bureau issued a flood yellow warning on the 24th, and trails and trees in many areas of the Qinhuai River Basin were submerged. Water has even overflowed the embankment and seeped into the surrounding streets.
At the time when the water level of the Qinhuai River was tight, some people reported to the central station’s Yangguang News Hotline (4008000088) that there were also many high-end bars and restaurants in the Yangjiawei Dike of the Qinhuai River. Not only did these buildings have no planning permission, It is also suspected of violating a number of water conservancy laws and regulations, causing hidden dangers to the safety of the levee.
Upscale restaurant in the dam
"In the belly" normal business
On the Wai Qinhuai River embankment next to Yangjiaxu Civic Park in Jiangning District, Nanjing, the reporter saw that the rising river water had flooded the water trails and supporting facilities outside the embankment.
But on the back of the river bank, high-end restaurants such as Hujia Garden Restaurant and Yuepin 1913 are still operating normally. But several restaurants next to them have closed.
These restaurants were not built directly on the dam, but were dug more than ten meters inward from the back surface of the dam, and opened in the “belly” of the dam.
Mr. Liu, the owner of a restaurant, told reporters that when he saw the investment promotion advertisement, he signed a lease contract with Nanjing Jiangning Urban Construction Group Co., Ltd., the builder of the dam, to operate the restaurant. The contracts issued at the beginning were very formal, but a few years later, after receiving a notice from Nanjing China Resources Gas requesting rectification of gas facilities, when Jiangning Urban Construction Group needed to provide materials, it was found that Jiangning Urban Construction Group was stubborn and could not find the relevant plans. formalities.
Later, Mr. Liu inquired about relevant laws and gradually realized that the restaurant was originally opened within the "red line" of the management area.
The reporter’s actual measurement found that Mr. Liu’s shop was about 12 meters long from the door to the deepest wall and about 3 meters high. This means that there are multiple 12 meters long, 3 meters high The width of the hollow is different. After preliminary measurement, the deepest part of the restaurant has reached the center line of the dam.
It is this kind of store that is leased to many merchants by Jiangning Urban Construction Group at a price of 1 yuan per square meter per day.
Mr. Liu pays 140,000 yuan in rent every year. Recalling that when he rented a house, Jiangning Urban Construction Group also said: "If you think business is good, you can also make open-air barbecue beer."
Has the dam dug a hole to build a restaurant approved?
Noncommittal
For such a construction situation, has it been approved by the planning department? Will it cause damage to the dam? Director Wu of Jiangning Urban Construction Group, who was in charge of the construction at the time, told reporters that they were only responsible for building the dam, and the attachments on it were not clear. But he also admitted that they wanted to make this a bar street:
Director Wu: We are responsible for the greening of the embankment, and the anchors on it are not our responsibility. At first, it was a bar street. There was a plan, but it was not taken shape. The efficiency was not very good. Later, it was a small restaurant.
Director Wu said that they felt that there was no problem during the construction. After all, the design can withstand the "one-in-a-hundred-year" flood, but is there any relevant planning and approval procedures for digging a hole in the dam to build a restaurant? He could not tell:
Director Wu: As far as I know, although the row of houses is for dining, they are also made of concrete.
Reporter: According to the plan, can such a restaurant be built on the embankment that can withstand the once-in-a-hundred-year flood?
Director Wu: This requires specific planning. I am responsible for the construction of the levee in the later stage. In the early stage, I have to ask other relevant departments.
The reporter came to Jiangning Urban Construction Group to further understand the matter. The staff in charge said that the restaurant in the dam body did not have planning procedures. These were all "temporary houses" when the dam was built in 2014. As for why it can be suddenly " "Temporary" is still rented out for 6 years, why should temporary houses be constructed with concrete? They also can't tell.
The Jiangning Branch of the Nanjing Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau also confirmed this point. In the reply letter to the whistleblower, the planning department clearly stated that no relevant approval information was found for the construction of the Yangjiawei section of the Qinhuai River.
Qinhuai River Water Conservancy Project Management Office, as the river management department, is aware of the existence of undocumented buildings in key dams? The relevant person in charge again gave a reply of "I don't know".
Section Chief Wang of the Water Administration Section of the Qinhuai River Water Conservancy Project Management Office: "You said the hotel must have it, but does it have procedures? Is there any planning? I am not sure about this. Because it is not within my jurisdiction, you can consult Nanjing Water. Bureau.
The reporter also interviewed the Nanjing Water Affairs Bureau. The Water Affairs Bureau said that it would further verify it, but it has not yet given a response as of press time.
The reporter subsequently reported this issue through the Nanjing City 12345 Citizen Hotline, but did not receive a reply.
Expert: Suspected of violating relevant regulations
Will building bars and restaurants with a depth of more than ten meters inside the dam have a negative impact on the dam?
According to Li Jinping, an associate professor at the School of Water Resources and Hydropower of Wuhan University, the degree of weakening of the dam body can only be concluded after field surveys.
However, building a restaurant inside has been suspected of violating Article 24 of the "Regulations of the People's Republic of China on River Management" and prohibiting the building of houses on dikes and embankments. In addition, Article 14 of the "Nanjing City Flood Control Dike Protection Management Regulations" also stipulates that no houses shall be built within the jurisdiction of the flood control dike:
Flood control (facilities) all have flood control requirements, and the country also has a special flood control law. There are red lines in the surrounding area related to flood control. Houses and roads cannot be built in these areas, and bridge repairs must be approved at different levels, because Affect flood control.
Inquiring about reports from previous years, we found that as early as 2014, the year when the Yangjiawei Dike was completed, there were reports from Nanjing local media that Jiangning Urban Construction Group illegally carried out the construction of bars and restaurants without planning procedures.
At that time, the former Jiangning District Planning Bureau had confirmed that there were no procedures for the construction, and Jiangning Urban Construction Group promised to “order the construction team to suspend construction and resume construction after the relevant procedures are completed.”
However, in 6 years, the procedures promised that year have not been completed.
As a "temporary building", the restaurant and bar are still in business at the moment when the flood has already been warned. Jiangning Urban Construction Group has also made six years of rent by renting out houses.
What did the regulatory authorities do to build a restaurant "in the belly" of the embankment? How much influence does it have on flood control? China Voice will continue to pay attention to the progress of the incident.
Source: China Voice of China Central Radio and Television Station (ID: zgzs001)
Headquarters Yangguang reporter: Ren Mengyan