It is not clear if the system failed to spot the impending floods or whether the government simply failed to act on the information received but an investigation is continuing.
But on Chinese social media, some questioned whether such smart city tech was a waste of money.
UK company Previsico offers its own flood warning system and co-founder Dr Avi Baruch told the BBC that there may be lessons to learn, but that it “it would be wrong to rush to judgement”.
He said such systems should work in tandem with other emergency planning.
“Businesses need to get up defences, protect key assets and arrive at the scene faster, if there is a warning,” he said. “Local authorities need to consider bringing in pumps, clearing drains and closing off streets so that the issue of cars floating down streets can be eliminated.”
Previsico is currently working with several cities, including London, Birmingham and Manchester, to forecast where flooding may happen.
Its live modelling system, which offers hyper-local forecasts to business customers and local authorities, was up and running when floods hit London in July, although the review of how well it worked has not yet been completed.
