NANCHANG, April 3 (Xinhua) — On the occasion of the 2026 “Water Culture Month” of East China’s Jiangxi Water Resources and Electric Power University, several foreign students, all members of a provincial alliance, visited the construction site of the Leping Dam, a large-scale hydraulic project. scope for flood control.
On site, they discovered the scale of the work, the technologies used and the expected benefits. Several African students, testifying to the devastating floods in their countries, praised China’s ingenuity and the speed of execution of its hydraulic projects, while calling for increased cooperation between the country and Africa.
The Leping Dam, located on the Raohe River, a major tributary of Lake Poyang, is a large-scale structure with multiple uses: flood control, irrigation, navigation and electricity production. The project was launched in August 2022, after the Lean River basin, also a major tributary of the Raohe River, suffered severe flooding followed by severe drought in the same year.
“This dam is a key part of strengthening the flood resistance of the Poyang Lake basin,” said Shi Risong, head of the project management center. “It will allow the city of Leping to move from a level of protection against 20-year floods to 50-year floods.” Construction of the dam, whose total capacity is 499.8 million cubic meters, began in March 2024 and will be completed by April 2027.
“I have never seen such a large hydraulic structure,” confides Moroccan student Lahlali Hala, 20 years old. “At home, floods are an annual ordeal.” She says that every year, before the rainy season, her family has to move all of their belongings upstairs and sometimes evacuate their home. Two months ago, heavy rains in northern Morocco destroyed many homes and left tens of thousands of people homeless.
Ugandan Lubowa Joshua Semujju shows recent images of a dike failure in the northwest of his country. “Uganda experiences recurrent flooding, especially in the Nile basin. Our capacity to cope with it is very limited. We urgently need infrastructure like this.”
As for the Nigerian Joshua Mmaduabuchi Ikeyina, he highlights the massive losses caused each year by floods in his country. “Today, I have fully understood the essential role of these structures. I plan to use my time at university to study water management and flood control technologies.”
Everyone sees the Chinese experience as a model to follow. “This dam shows how large infrastructure can protect lives and property. We can draw inspiration from Chinese planning, management and achievements to strengthen our cooperation in this area,” notes Lubowa. â–
