City geared up to minimize impact of floods
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-06-01 22:05

Shanghai's top officials have put government departments on notice, to ensure that they are fully prepared for this year's flood season, which officially started Tuesday.

"We should be well prepared in case of huge disasters," Deputy Mayor Yang Xiong, who is also commander-in-chief of Shanghai Flood Control Headquarters, told a working conference Tuesday.

"Lack of vigilance or expectations of luck is not allowed."

Sheng Jiarong, director-general of the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau, said Tuesday that a serious flood was "very likely to occur" this year.

"Various natural factors and statistics the bureau has collected show that Shanghai will probably experience disastrous weather such as thunderstorms, tornadoes and hail," he said, adding that there is a chance that a big typhoon, storm and tide will occur simultaneously.

According to Sheng, Shanghai will experience more rain and warm temperatures this summer.

The only good news is that the number of tropical storms and typhoons that could hit Shanghai is close to the annual average, and only one of them is expected to have a big impact on the city.

Yang said floods, typhoons and high tides are Shanghai's greatest threats, as it sits on the tip of the Yangtze River Delta.

"Ensuring the city can pull through such disasters is a committed task for the city government," he said. Zhang Jiayi, deputy commander-in-chief of flood control headquarters, said Shanghai has built up its basic prevention facilities for flooding and typhoons, but they are still not satisfactory given the city's economic and social development.

For example, there are drainage problems in part of the city centre and in some suburban towns, flooding occurs.

Some of Shanghai's dykes are not effective against continuous high water levels.

The flood control headquarters also warned about the potential threats to high rise buildings.

"Those tall and massive buildings haven't really experienced strong typhoons in the past few years," Zhang said.

"We should be aware that some objects or material could fall from these buildings."

Both Yang and Zhang noted that some departments were lacking vigilance and pinning their hopes on luck.

During recent inspections, the flood prevention headquarters found that a few departments were not paying enough attention to the issue. Some even dump mud in places, blocking drainage systems.

"It shows that after several years of luck, some departments have wound down their levels of alertness, which is the biggest enemy," Zhang said.

There was a peaceful summer in Shanghai last year, with a relatively smaller volume of rainfall, and tide and typhoon activity. However, several examples of shoddy construction came unstuck, causing accidents.

In addition to comprehensive pre-flood inspections, Shanghai appoints each district with a flood prevention responsibility.

"Any who fail in their duty, which results in a casualty, will receive due penalties," Zhang said.

Shanghai Flood Control Headquarters Tuesday also released responsible officials' names and phone numbers. All the anti-flood hotline numbers are operated around-the-clock starting from Tuesday.

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