Thousands at risk by predicted heavy rains
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Emergency relocation plans have been prepared for thousands of Beijing residents in areas susceptible to floods or landslides, following forecasts of heavy summer rains by the Beijing Meteorological Bureau.
The houses, in aged communities and rural-urban fringe zones, have been rated "possible to fall in extreme weather" by the municipal housing commission. They cover more than 70,000 sq m.
"The dilapidated buildings are mainly occupied by migrant workers in rural-urban fringe zones," said Cheng Jing, director-general of the Beijing Water Authority. "About 40 percent of the buildings are located in old communities in western and eastern parts of Beijing, such as Xuanwu and Chongwen districts."
He said information cards, with details on how to handle extreme weather conditions and how to move to safer areas, have been sent to the families.
The recently released Beijing flood season climate trend by the Beijing Meteorological Bureau predicted the city's average rainfall this summer to be between 380 mm and 440 mm, compared with an average of 324.5 mm in the same period over the past 10 years.
Storms have been predicted in certain areas, leading to potential dangers to dilapidated buildings, traffic and small reservoirs.
Statistics from the bureau show that since 2004, there have been 35 "heavy" rainfalls, defined when 70 mm of rain falls in an hour, in Beijing. On July 30 last year, the rainfall at Tian'anmen Square reached 80 mm an hour.
Ironically, Beijing has been in drought for 11 years in a row as rainfall has been below an average of 585 mm a year. Last year, the amount of rain falling dropped by 23 percent over the average amount of the past 15 years.
A 250,000-member rescue team is on standby to help people in dilapidated buildings, along lakes and rivers, and to ensure the smooth operations of airport, major roads and subways.
Wang Yi, deputy director of the Beijing Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, said it plans to clear all flooded roads two hours after the rain stops.
"We can guarantee that, so long as the rainfall doesn't reach 70 mm an hour," Wang said.
