Drainage, reservoirs put to test

Streets, shops and garages have been submerged in water in Guangdong, leading to economic losses totaling 1 billion yuan.

Insurance companies in the province are busy dealing with around 15,000 reports of auto damage caused by the rainstorms, with costs expected to be as high as 300 million yuan, local news reports said.

City planning specialists said the economic losses have highlighted holes in city planning, and the drainage system has been strained. Widespread criticism could also be heard.

A Guangzhou resident surnamed Li told the Global Times that she was bogged down by a sudden rainfall on Sunday in the city's Shancheng district.

"Thousands of people were stranded in shops for about 4 hours," she said. "A rainy season is normal at this time of year in a tropical city like Guangzhou, as everyone knows, so why isn't the drainage system prepared for it," she asked, implying that little seemed to be done to prevent the losses.

Wang Shifu, a professor of city planning at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, told the Global Times that "The government should improve the drainage system for sure. But I cannot put all the blame on authorities. I have never seen such a big rainstorm in at least 20 years. So it takes time to drain all the water, even with a great drainage system."

He also noted that "Some estate-management companies forgot to close the watertight doors in their underground garages, resulting in a huge damage to cars parked there."

Reservoirs may also be in danger of bursting from too much rain.

The State flood and drought center revealed Monday that stretches of rivers in Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan and Jiangxi have surpassed their safe water levels, signaling imminent danger posed by breached reservoirs.

In southwest China, reservoirs have been plagued by a severe shortage of water; and in Sichuan, some reservoirs hit by the May 2008 earthquake haven't yet been fully repaired.

(Xinhua News Agency May 11, 2010)