BEIJING—Flooding that killed more than three dozen people in Beijing this weekend sparked anger and questions over how a city lauded for its new infrastructure and rapid modernization could suffer so tragically.
Urban areas of Beijing were hit with an average of nearly nine inches of rain over 16 hours on Saturday—the heaviest downpour the Chinese capital has seen in six decades, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The flood taxed the city's sewage and draining systems, leading to streets and neighborhoods filled with water in some areas.
The deluge, which caused more than 31 road cave-ins, also led to more than 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) in economic losses, Xinhua quoted Pan Anjun, deputy chief of the Beijing flood-control headquarters, as saying. The rains led to the cancellation of more than 500 outbound flights at the Beijing airport, stranding at least 80,000 travelers, state media said.At least 37 people died in the downpour, according to a statement released Sunday night through the Beijing municipal government's official account on Sina Corp.'s Weibo microblogging service. Of those, 25 drowned, six were killed as a result of collapsed structures, five were electrocuted and one was struck by lightning, the statement said.
Nearly 70,000 residents had to be relocated, state media reported.
News of the storm spread rapidly on social media, where users posted video footage of flooded intersections and where messages of support appeared alongside pointed questions about how a city that spent billions building facilities to host the 2008 Olympics could struggle so badly in dealing with a thunderstorm.
Among the sharpest criticisms came in the form of a series of photos, posted on Sina Weibo, contrasting Beijing's flooded streets with images of sewer systems in other famous capitals.
"Sewers are not a face-giving infrastructure project," artist Li Yijia wrote in response to the images, repeating a sentiment widely expressed elsewhere on the site.
Perhaps sensitive to the tenor of conversation online, China's Ministry of Finance announced on Sunday that the central government had allocated 120 million yuan to help Beijing, the coastal city of Tianjin and the northern province of Hebei fight floods, Xinhua reported."Beijing's glossy appearance can't withstand the erosion of a bout of heavy rain," wrote another Sina Weibo user. "In just a few hours, Beijing is washed back into the old days. The city government hasn't stopped rebuilding this city, but they can't even deal with getting waterlogged."
China has invested heavily infrastructure in recent years, from highways to rail to airports. It was a key part of a more-than-$1-trillion stimulus package unveiled by Beijing in response to the global financial crisis. But a number of incidents have raised questions about the quality of the build-out.
One major test came one year ago, when a deadly high-speed rail collision outside the eastern city of Wenzhou prompted questions online and even in the state media over whether China's preoccupation with growth had led to investment at the expense of safety.
Among the areas worst hit by the rains on Saturday was the suburban district of Fangshan, which saw just over 18 inches of rain over the course of the storm, Xinhua reported. Of those relocated because of the storm, more than 20,000 were from Fangshan, state media said.
Flood-control authorities were still verifying statistics related to the downpour, Xinhua reported.
Edited By Cen Fox Post Team
