The Beijing meteorological center has issued a yellow alert for two days of thunderstorms and rainstorms starting from Tuesday, warning residents to be prepared for the heaviest rain to hit the capital this summer so far.

 

　　CRI's Zhang Shuangfeng has more.

 

　　The Beijing meteorological bureau says the southern and northern parts of the city will be the most affected by the rain.

 

　　It also warns of the increasing risks of geological disasters in the city's mountainous areas.

 

　　Meanwhile, the capital's flood control office is calling on the public to be prepared for the adverse weather.

 

　　Pan anjun is the spokesperson of the office.

 

　　"We advise the public to stay away from mountainous areas, waterways and valleys. Drivers, please be aware of water logged roads and flooded areas. We also recommend companies and organizers postpone outdoor events."

 

　　According to the city's meteorological bureau, over 200 millimeters of rainfall will hit the city within 24 hours.

 

　　Last year, Beijing was hit by the heaviest rainfall to affect the city in six decades. 77 people were killed in the storm.

 

　　Among the dead, a driver was drowned under an overpass in the downtown district, sparking outcries for the city's flood control system.

 

　　Wang Rao, from the Beijing Drainage Group, says that his company has installed real-time surveillance camera on 20 overpasses, as part of the government's upgrading program.

 

　　"The control center can now find when there is waterlogging via the cameras. In some cases, the center has been able to dispatch personnel and send out rescue teams even before residents called in to report the waterlogging."

 

　　Now over 85 monitoring sites have been set up across the city to detect water levels around vulnerable overpasses. Roads will be closed once the water level in an underpass reaches 27 centimeters.

 

　　In Southern Beijing's Fangshan district, which was severely damaged in last year's storm, construction workers are busy reinforcing the bridges.

 

　　Jiao Haifeng is from the Road Administration department of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.

 

　　"We have rebuilt the 16 bridges that were destroyed in last year's storm. We are now building ancillary facilities for 3 bridges, and other construction work was finished before May. Our order is that no more new bridge should be washed off again when the storm hit the city."

 

　　Despite all these efforts, concerns over the city's capacity to cope with heavy rains still linger, as the capital's drainage system can only cope with 30 millimeter rain per hour.

 

　　Beijing has had 19 days of rainfall since the beginning of this flood season, with an accumulated rainfall of over 170 millimeters, a 57 percent increase from last year.

 

　　Well prepared or not, more rain is on the way.

 

　　For CRI, I'm Zhang Shuangfeng.