Beijing 'death map' turns spotlight on a city's flaws
Source: Xinhua |
July 28, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A MAP pinpointing the locations of the 77 people who died in Beijing's worst downpour in six decades has put the city's municipal government under the spotlight, rekindling public concern over flaws in the country's decades of explosive economic growth.
The map, posted by the municipal government on its Sina Weibo account, Beijing Release, shows that most of the victims were from suburban Fangshan District, about 30 kilometers southwest of downtown Beijing.
Of the 61 victims whose identities have been confirmed, 38 were from Fangshan, six from Chaoyang District and five from both Fengtai and Shijingshan districts. The other seven victims were from five other districts, according to the map, dubbed the "death map."
The map reveals a bleak reality. Despite being a short distance from the downtown Beijing, Fangshan District has long been overshadowed by the glamorous development taking place in Beijing.
While much investment has been injected into skyscrapers, theaters and other shining facilities downtown, infrastructure in agriculture-oriented Fangshan has been left largely unattended.
More importantly, flood discharge facilities such as rivers and reservoirs in the district had not regularly been protected and had, therefore, not retained their designed capacities.
At Nanhanji Village in Fangshan, sludge as thick as 20 centimeters remained inside many homes nearly a week after the downpour.
Sun Guo, the village head, told reporters that a nearby quarry often dumped debris into the Jiakuo River, which is meant to be used as a flood discharge channel. "The blocking of the river by debris and garbage aggravated flooding in our village," Sun said.
Four villagers drowned, Sun said.
The same night, about 350 students were trapped inside a training school in the district. The students were eventually brought to safety by firefighters, but an investigation revealed that the school was built on what had once been a flood discharge channel.
The city's drainage networks have received most of the blame for the flooding. Fast urbanization resulting in vast networks of cement roads and the elimination of greenbelts had crippled the city's ability to cope with heavy rain.
Wang Hao, an expert with the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, said more than 80 percent of city roads were covered in impermeable materials.
Meanwhile, the upgrading and expansion of drainage networks lagged far behind the development of above-ground construction.
Li Yuhong, an expert with the Association of Beijing Water Resources, said: "More than six decades after the People's Republic of China was founded, many of Beijing's sewers remain unchanged and some can even be traced back to the Ming and Qing dynasties."
In May, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning laid out a plan to beef up design standards for rainwater pipelines.
This year, the city government plans to upgrade drainage systems, including building underground reservoirs and installing pumps, in 50 locations prone to deluges.
The map, posted by the municipal government on its Sina Weibo account, Beijing Release, shows that most of the victims were from suburban Fangshan District, about 30 kilometers southwest of downtown Beijing.
Of the 61 victims whose identities have been confirmed, 38 were from Fangshan, six from Chaoyang District and five from both Fengtai and Shijingshan districts. The other seven victims were from five other districts, according to the map, dubbed the "death map."
The map reveals a bleak reality. Despite being a short distance from the downtown Beijing, Fangshan District has long been overshadowed by the glamorous development taking place in Beijing.
While much investment has been injected into skyscrapers, theaters and other shining facilities downtown, infrastructure in agriculture-oriented Fangshan has been left largely unattended.
More importantly, flood discharge facilities such as rivers and reservoirs in the district had not regularly been protected and had, therefore, not retained their designed capacities.
At Nanhanji Village in Fangshan, sludge as thick as 20 centimeters remained inside many homes nearly a week after the downpour.
Sun Guo, the village head, told reporters that a nearby quarry often dumped debris into the Jiakuo River, which is meant to be used as a flood discharge channel. "The blocking of the river by debris and garbage aggravated flooding in our village," Sun said.
Four villagers drowned, Sun said.
The same night, about 350 students were trapped inside a training school in the district. The students were eventually brought to safety by firefighters, but an investigation revealed that the school was built on what had once been a flood discharge channel.
The city's drainage networks have received most of the blame for the flooding. Fast urbanization resulting in vast networks of cement roads and the elimination of greenbelts had crippled the city's ability to cope with heavy rain.
Wang Hao, an expert with the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, said more than 80 percent of city roads were covered in impermeable materials.
Meanwhile, the upgrading and expansion of drainage networks lagged far behind the development of above-ground construction.
Li Yuhong, an expert with the Association of Beijing Water Resources, said: "More than six decades after the People's Republic of China was founded, many of Beijing's sewers remain unchanged and some can even be traced back to the Ming and Qing dynasties."
In May, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning laid out a plan to beef up design standards for rainwater pipelines.
This year, the city government plans to upgrade drainage systems, including building underground reservoirs and installing pumps, in 50 locations prone to deluges.
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