Shanghai Daily news
Shanghai is developing new standards in an effort to raise the protective level of its anti-flood facilities, the city water authority said yesterday.
The emphasis for the upgrade is being centered on areas along the coast and at the mouth of the Yangtze River, where many big factories have been built in recent years.
"Portions of the coastline have been eroded by tides that are rising each year, posing a potential threat to these areas," said water authority director Zhang Jiayi, who's also vice commander of the city's flood control headquarters.
Zhang also pointed out that the low drainage capacity in downtown areas is insufficient to handle many summer storms, leaving large pools of water on the roads.
A draft version of the new standards was finished recently and is now awaiting the government's final approval.
The new standards would qualify anti-flood facilities in coastal and riverside areas, such as Changxing Island, Baoshan District's Luojing area and Waigaoqiao area in Pudong, to cope with the highest tides and strong winds predicted to occur every 200 years.
Workers around the city are now preparing for the coming rainy season. The anti-flood campaign starts formally on June 1 and runs until the end of September.
Meteorologists have forecast "abnormal" weather this summer, with more rain and higher temperatures than in previous years.
Their worries seem to have already been confirmed. The first thunderstorm this year took place on February 6, the earliest since 1949.
Last month, the monthly average temperature was 18 degrees Celsius, the highest in 133 years.
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