China’s capital Beijing witnessed record breaking rainfall as the after effects of Typhoon Doksuri created havoc in China. The streets of Beijing turned into canals as emergency services used boats to rescue stranded people
According to the Beijing Meteorological Bureau, the capital has recorded 744.8 mm of rain between Saturday and Wednesday morning. The previous record for highest rainfall was recorded in 1891, when Beijing received 609 millimetres of rain. Machines have been used to measure rainfall since 1883
Along with Beijing, the nearby Hebei province has also been affected by flash floods with water rising to dangerous levels and damaging the roads. The rivers surrounding the capital have flooded, leaving cars waterlogged
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The official number of deaths due to the flooding has reached 21 while 26 people have been reported missing so far
Among the hardest hit regions is the Zhuozhou city under Hebei province which shares a border with the southwest area of Beijing. Emergency services have been going around the city in rubber boats to rescue the stranded residents who have no water, electricity or gas since Tuesday
With more than 850,000 people relocated, the Chinese government is disbursing 44 million yuan (approx. Rs 51 crores) for disaster relief in the affected provinces
Bad times are far from over for China as ‘Typhoon Kanun’, which lashed Japan on Wednesday, is heading towards Taiwan and China with surface winds of up to 180 kmph
Along with road transport, aeroplanes and trains have also been affected by the floods. Many flights from the two airports of Beijing have been delayed or cancelled. Some subway and train lines have also been suspended
Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, described the recent rainfall as “extreme” as last year Beijing recorded a total rainfall of less than 500 millimetres (19.6 inches). Ma also said there is a need to review how cities are planned because some places experience frequent flooding. Ma added, “We need to avoid building large-scale construction ... in low-lying areas