In China, floodwaters were diverted to less-populated areas to save Beijing – reminiscent of in infamous incident from a century ago during the Mississippi River flood of 1927, when New Orleans plutocrats arranged to blow up a levee to flood rural areas downriver to spare the city. (Memories of this incident also fueled rumors that levees were purposely blown up during Hurricane Katrina to flood predominantly Black neighborhoods)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-66391331