2016年CRI Measures Needed to Tackle More Heavy Rains in China

China Meteorological Administration says the ongoing 1 El Nino effect, which has been hitting its peak over the past year-and-a-half, is likely to come to an end this month.

However, Zhou Bing, a senior engineer from China's National Climate Center says this is no time for Chinese officials to relax.

"The El Nino effect stems from the ocean, and when it comes to how it will affect the climate in China, usually, it will take some time before the effect takes shape. China is a country which deals with monsoons 2, which means the amount of rain in the country varies from year to year. This year we have a challenging situation, especially in regions along the Yangtze River. Flooding is very likely to take place. "

For provinces along the Yangtze River, the memory of the catastrophic flooding in the summer of 1998 is still fresh in the minds of some.

At least 3-thousand people died that year in what some have described as the worst flooding in China in the 20th century.

Forecasters are suggesting that even though it is still unclear whether China might be in for the same this year, a lot of factors are pointing to a rainy season similar to the one in 1998.

More than 55-percent of China's population is now living in urban areas.

Urban flooding is becoming a major issue in Chinese cities, where much of the existing infrastructure 3 isn't sufficient enough to handle heavy rains.

This is largely because of paved roads and new buildings which don't allow rainwater to be absorbed into the ground, leading to flash floods.

More than 100 cities across China are now dealing 4 with annual flooding problems.

Professor Li Jing, an expert on natural disaster management at Beijing Normal University, says there are steps to be taken.

"You know some green areas in cities can't be developed. As such, we can restructure these areas by digging deeper underground to allow the areas to store more rain water. This is a relatively 5 simple process. Gradually, the materials used for building paved roads and other urban areas should also be improved. It is possible to increase their water permeability."

Chinese authorities developed the concept for a so-called "Sponge City" in 2012.

The core idea is to make a city like a sponge so that itwill be capable of absorbing up to 70-percent of the water brought down during a single rainfall.

So far, 30 cities in China are being retrofit to try to prevent flash-flooding.

Beyond civil engineering, its being suggested a new warning system might need to be established.

China has a four-tier color-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

However, a survey once conducted by the Beijing Daily shows nearly 70-percent of those asked in Beijing don't know what the different colors mean.

Professor Li Jing says authorities also need to change the way the warnings are released.

"For ordinary people, what really matters is the depth of the rain water that will accumulate on the roads. Right now there are warnings for potential flooding. However, they aren't specific enough when it comes to the depth of the water commuters may have to face. We need to let the public know which roads are flooded and which ones aren't."

Since March, China's southern and southwestern areas have been hit by over a dozen major showers.

This has led to large-scale disruptions to air, road and rail traffic.

Some 9-thousand people became temporarily stranded 6 last weekend after massive downpours shut down the main international airport in Sichuan's capital, Chengdu.

For CRI, this is Ding Heng.