CHINA DAILY FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012 china 11 Tianjin hit with heavy rainfall By ZHENG XIN kai district where many pedes- pm when the water receded. [email protected] trians had to walk in knee-deep All 193 pumping stations in water. the city along with 24 tempo- Rainfall has battered Beijing’s “The water in Xiangyang rary pumps, have been work- neighboring city of Tianjin, Street is waist deep,” said Ma ing, to prevent fl ooding, espe- paralyzing traffi c in downtown Lin, a resident in the district. cially in low-lying areas and areas and submerging many Cui Yang, from Hexi district districts with poor drainage roads, despite the city’s precau- in Tianjin, has failed to get the facilities, including Beichen tionary measures. water out of his home, which district, Hongqiao district and The rain, which started on fl ooded on Th ursday. Hebei district, the drainage Wednesday evening, hit the “The water in my apart- department in Tianjin said. northern part of the city the ment has reached my knees,” Th e rain has also disrupted hardest. Dasi township in the Cui said. “I have encountered air traffi c in the city. suburban Xiqing district was a similar situation a few years Some 20 flights were can- the worst-aff ected area, receiv- ago and aft er all these years no celed and 34 delayed. More ing 34.5 centimeters of rain, local authorities have ever come than 5,000 passengers have according to the Tianjin Mete- to check the pipelines. been stranded at the airport orological Bureau. The city “In the next three hours, because of the downpour. received an average downfall according to the latest weather Th e fi rst fl ight, an incoming of 14.7 cm. report, we have to pack up and fl ight from Shanghai, landed Fearing a repeat of the may- go to safer places,” Cui said. in Tianjin aft er the rain sub- ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY hem experienced in the capital He Xu, an employee of sided at 11:32 am and the fi rst Residents rest outside their tents at a community in Guangqumen, Beijing’s Dongcheng district, on Wednesday. The residents once on Saturday, when the heaviest DHL Express, was driving to departing flight took off at lived in basements, which were fl ooded in the downpour on Saturday, and have been living in tents since then. rain in more than six decades his offi ce in Beichen district of 12:08 pm. caused the deaths of at least 77 Tianjin at 9 am on Thursday Railway transportation has people, the Tianjin government when his car fl ooded. not been aff ected, according to Rain: was prepared for the predicted “I have been bombarded Jin Hua, a publicity offi cer at the Drivers urged to take precautions downpour. with text messages from city Tianjin Railway Station. According to Deng Fushun, authorities and online shop- The station has increased FROM PAGE 2 aff ected by the storm that fl ood- destroyed and 170,710 hectares allotted 70 million yuan to Hebei director of the Tianjin Munici- ping companies warning of the personnel to help the stranded ed 59 counties in the province, of cropland were inundated. for disaster relief. pal Offi ce of Civil Air Defense, downpour, but I did not expect passengers, said Jin. Homes have been fl ooded and according to the provincial civil Direct economic losses totaled Storms have hit 22 provincial- the city practiced drills in the 16 the water would be this high,” According to the Tian- people are staying at temporary aff airs bureau. more than 12.28 billion yuan level regions in China since July districts and counties of the city the 30-year-old said. jin Meteorological Bureau, shelters. Among the victims, 13 were ($1.92 billion). 20. on Wednesday to get ready for He said most workers were because the heavy rainfall satu- Homes beneath ground killed in Yesanpo, a scenic spot Local governments had to the emergency. allowed to go home early on rated soil in the mountains, it is level in a neighborhood at the in Laishui county, which neigh- relocate 226,600 people to safer Contact the writers at zhengx- On Thursday the local fire Thursday due to safety con- important to be well prepared northwestern corner of the bors Beijing’s Fangshan district. areas. Th e Ministry of Finance [email protected] and tan- prevention bureau sent 190 fi re cerns and his company’s ser- for possible geological disasters Guangqumen Bridge were About 28,540 houses were and the Ministry of Civil Aff airs [email protected] engines and 1,140 rescuers to vices were suspended for a day. in the mountainous areas in the fl ooded, forcing more than 300 help retrieve the vehicles and Many restaurants in Tianjin northern part of the city. residents to seek temporary shel- evacuate pedestrians stranded closed due to fl ooding. Th e downpour in the city has ter. by the fl ood. Th e subbranch of Go Believe resulted in an economic loss of More than 100 of the resi- Th e rain has fl ooded many on Nanjing Road, a famous more than 140 million yuan dents are now living in ten tents, downtown streets, vehicles and brand of baozi (steamed stuff ed ($22 million), with the direct donated by individuals, in the even houses. bun), from Tianjin, flooded economic loss in fi elds of agri- square outside the building. Dozens of vehicles were on Thursday morning but culture reaching 137 million “The flood rushed into the stranded on Baidi Road in Nan- resumed business at about 12 yuan. basement so quickly that you had hardly any time to clear away any of your stuff,” said Zhang Junfeng, a 28-year-old saleswoman in a supermarket Cities upgrading drainage in Beijing. “I only had time to grab my mobile phone and my purse as the water rose to my chest in just systems after fatal fl oods a few minutes. “We hope the government can By SHI YINGYING in Shanghai pump and that particular one Guangdong province, which fi nd us a place to live, instead of and ZHOU LIHUA in Wuhan couldn’t help because all the is frequently flooded during the tents,” she said. nearby sewers were full, so the rainy season, is planning to To protect drivers, alert lines, City governments across pump couldn’t remove rain- build an underground tunnel indicating water levels, will be China are hastily ordering water,” he said. stretching more than 100 kilo- put on specific highways and checks on drainage systems, Li warned that it will take meters into the downtown area underpasses. and several have unveiled time and not just money to to improve rainwater drainage. Th e yellow warning line will plans for extensive upgrades, guarantee an eff ective urban Wu Xuewei, deputy direc- be 20 centimeters above ground, following the fatal floods in drainage system. tor of the city water resources alerting drivers to proceed with Beijing. “A city needs a lengthy bureau, said construction cost caution while the red line, pro- Shanghai, Wuhan and period to upgrade its drain- of the tunnel is estimated at 6 hibiting further driving, is 27 Guangzhou have announced age system, mainly because to 8 billion yuan. centimeters above ground. multibillion-yuan projects, as of concerns about holding “We decided to build the Th e lines will be easily iden- offi cials look to allay residents’ up traffi c and disturbing resi- tunnel deep underground tifi able, according to the Beijing worries about cities’ ability to dents,” he said. “Shanghai has aft er looking at the success of Traffi c Management Bureau. handle heavy downpours. spent the last 20 years improv- similar projects in advanced The move follows the death Ma Yuandong, an offi cial at ing the system in the old city Western countries,” Wu said. of a 34-year-old driver who Shanghai Drainage Admin- and building new ones bit by “City departments are con- drowned when a four-meter istration, said the metropolis bit in the suburbs. You’ve got ducting feasibility studies and fl ash fl ood engulfed his vehicle will invest 10.4 billion yuan to dig out the underground seeking advice from experts at near Guangqumen Bridge on ($1.63 billion) to improve 28 infrastructure in order to home and abroad.” Saturday. The automatic win- drainage systems before 2015. upgrade it.” Drainage system mainte- dows failed to function under Some systems will be Wuhan, capital of Hubei nance is also an important the water. replaced and others renovated province, which also receives factor in protecting a city “Warning signs indicating to make them larger, Ma said. a lot of rain, began work last from fl oods. water levels on all low-lying “Most Shanghai streets can year to improve its sewer sys- Hong Kong renovates its underpasses will be of great help drain only 36 millimeters tem by 2015 with an invest- drainage system before every for drivers,” said Guo Mingfeng, or less of rainwater an hour, ment of 12.47 billion yuan. rainy season from June to a 45-year-old taxi driver who has though some areas, such as The city government said August. been driving for more than 20 the airports, Expo site and it is installing non-watertight Water cannons blast the years. Lujiazui fi nancial district, can terraces, instead of concrete or sludge away to ensure the Yang Qingyuan, an expert in handle 50 to 57 millimeters cement ones, in public places pipes are unobstructed.