On May 29, 2025, NHRI organized a kick-off and implementation scheme demonstration meeting for Key Technologies and Equipment Development and Integrated Demonstration for Rainfall-Runoff Monitoring, Forecasting and Early Warning in Flood High-Risk Areas (Project No.: 2024YFC3214800), a key special integrated project for the Water Resources and Water Environment Comprehensive Management in Key River Basins (e.g., the Yangtze and Yellow River Basins), under a National Key R&D Program, in Nanjing. Over 50 participants, including responsible persons from Department of International Cooperation, Science and Technology and Department of Hydrology, MWR, and the Administrative Center for China's Agenda 21, project leads, research teams, partners and advisors, attended the meeting.

The project invited 15 experts, including ZHANG Jianyun, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and ZHANG Zhitong, former Chief Planner of MWR, to form an advisory panel, and officially issued them the Letters of Appointment. The panel listened to reports by the project leader and principal investigators on the implementation scheme, carried out thorough discussions on the scientificity, innovativeness, rationality, and feasibility of the scheme, and provided specific opinions and suggestions for improvement and clearer guidance for the project's follow-up implementation. The implementation scheme was approved after review.

Aiming to extend flood forecast period and improve forecast accuracy, the project follows the overall research approach of "mechanism study - technical equipment development - integrated demonstration", focuses on key technological breakthroughs in spatiotemporal accuracy in extreme precipitation monitoring and forecasting, beyond-design-benchmark flood simulation capabilities, and universal applicability of the flood control “Four-Preparedness” (i.e. prediction, early warning, simulation drill and contingency plan) system, elucidates the meteorological drivers of extreme rainstorms and the time-varying response mechanisms of runoff generation and confluence, and develops advanced and practical rainfall-runoff monitoring and forecasting technologies and equipment, to conduct differentiated demonstrations and applications in typical flood high-risk areas in the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Haihe River basins.

Specifically established by the Ministry of Water Resources with the open competition mechanism to select the best candidates for addressing technical challenges in building the "Three-Line Defense" system for rainfall-runoff monitoring and forecasting, the project is led by NHRI, in collaboration with Hohai University, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, National Meteorological Centre, Anhui and Huaihe River Institute of Hydraulic Research, and Nanjing NRIET Industrial Co., Ltd., with an implementation span of three years. The successful convention of this meeting marks the project's entry into full implementation phase. The project team pledged to continue increasing research efforts to complete all research tasks with high quality, to contribute to the high-standard construction of China's "Three-Line Defense" system for rainfall-runoff monitoring and forecasting and ensure the safety of people's lives and property.