Comments on the Report on the Situation [I]

(September 17, 1952)

Comrades Deng and Bo [2]:

Please consult with the Ministry of Water Resources to propose a plan for the permanent control of the Han River, and consider whether it can be included in next year’s budget.

Mao Zedong
September 17

Is it financially feasible to simultaneously harness Dongting Lake, the northern bank of the Jing River, and the Han River?

[1]
The Central People’s Government Ministry of Water Resources’ report of September 16, 1952, on the situation following the breach at Huangjiachang on the Han River, stated that the breach occurred at 2:30 a.m. on September 14. Three hundred boats were organized for rescue operations, and the vast majority of people were saved, though a small number drowned. Eight districts in Mianyang County were flooded, covering a total area of approximately 800,000 mu. Some cotton and beans in the fields were submerged, and about 300,000 people were affected by the disaster. The Hubei Provincial People’s Government has already transported relief grain for rescue efforts.

[2]
Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, then Vice Premier of the Government Administration Council. Bo refers to Bo Yibo, then Deputy Director of the Financial and Economic Committee of the Government Administration Council and concurrently Minister of Finance.