Beijing on high alert during rainy season
Source: Xinhua |
July 22, 2013, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE beginning of Beijing's major flood season on Saturday has put authorities on high alert a year after the deadliest downpour in six decades killed 77 people.
The weather bureau has forecast torrential rain in the capital throughout the coming three weeks. The rains will be a rigorous test for the municipal government, which has been reinforcing the city's flood prevention infrastructure and early warning systems since last July's fatal downpour.
"We are making every effort to avoid injuries and drowning of people and vehicles during this year's rainy season," said Pan An'jun, spokesman of the city's flood prevention and drought relief headquarters.
A downpour left vehicles submerged and flooded many homes on July 21, 2012, generating economic losses of about US$1.9 billion.
The chaos triggered public fury at the government's failure to properly respond to the deluge, and it prompted questions over the disparity between the city's faulty drainage system and its gleaming skyscrapers.
Over the past year, the government has been working to renovate overpasses, unclog sewers and dredge river channels - all in a bid to improve the strained drainage system that was widely blamed for the urban waterlogging.
To date, workers have completed renovations on 20 overpasses under which floodwater rose to as much as 4 meters during last July's torrential rain, according to a statement from the Beijing Water Authority on Friday.
As part of the work, new pumping stations have been built alongside the bridges and existing facilities have been upgraded, thus expanding the pumping capacity from 30 cubic meters per second to 57 cubic meters per second, the statement said.
Nineteen ponds that can collectively hold 100,000 cubic meters of water have also been built near the overpasses to contain floodwater that can not be pumped away.
Twelve of the 20 renovated bridges are now able to withstand heavy downpours that are likely to fall once a decade, compared with previous standards of only two to three years, said the official.
Another 164 overpasses will be improved in the near future, he said.
During the July 21, 2012, rainstorm, a driver drowned after being trapped for three hours in his submerged SUV under the Guangqumen overpass.
An official said a new pumping station and a water storage pond near the overpass will be ready next year.
The weather bureau has forecast torrential rain in the capital throughout the coming three weeks. The rains will be a rigorous test for the municipal government, which has been reinforcing the city's flood prevention infrastructure and early warning systems since last July's fatal downpour.
"We are making every effort to avoid injuries and drowning of people and vehicles during this year's rainy season," said Pan An'jun, spokesman of the city's flood prevention and drought relief headquarters.
A downpour left vehicles submerged and flooded many homes on July 21, 2012, generating economic losses of about US$1.9 billion.
The chaos triggered public fury at the government's failure to properly respond to the deluge, and it prompted questions over the disparity between the city's faulty drainage system and its gleaming skyscrapers.
Over the past year, the government has been working to renovate overpasses, unclog sewers and dredge river channels - all in a bid to improve the strained drainage system that was widely blamed for the urban waterlogging.
To date, workers have completed renovations on 20 overpasses under which floodwater rose to as much as 4 meters during last July's torrential rain, according to a statement from the Beijing Water Authority on Friday.
As part of the work, new pumping stations have been built alongside the bridges and existing facilities have been upgraded, thus expanding the pumping capacity from 30 cubic meters per second to 57 cubic meters per second, the statement said.
Nineteen ponds that can collectively hold 100,000 cubic meters of water have also been built near the overpasses to contain floodwater that can not be pumped away.
Twelve of the 20 renovated bridges are now able to withstand heavy downpours that are likely to fall once a decade, compared with previous standards of only two to three years, said the official.
Another 164 overpasses will be improved in the near future, he said.
During the July 21, 2012, rainstorm, a driver drowned after being trapped for three hours in his submerged SUV under the Guangqumen overpass.
An official said a new pumping station and a water storage pond near the overpass will be ready next year.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
