Drainage to get flood-level upgrade

By Steffie Lu  |   2008-6-24  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

THE Shanghai water authority will invest 300 million yuan (US$43 million) up to 2010, to improve drainage on roads affected in the flood season.

The project will cover 60 roads covering more than 30 kilometers, the Shanghai Water Bureau said yesterday.

The bureau will also install 10 new drainage systems downtown before 2010, including a new system on Yan'an Road E. and in the Hongqiao area.

The Shanghai World Expo Coordination Bureau is currently constructing drainage systems around the Expo areas, including Mengzi, Nanmatou, Puming and Houtan. Drainage is expected to be working smoothly during the 2010 World Expo.

The city's drains can currently handle rainfall of up to 36 millimeters per hour. In some key areas, the system can cope with 50 to 56 millimeters per hour, officials said.

The authority spent 400 million yuan from 2001 to improve the drainage on 98 roads, covering 47 kilometers, officials said. However, the city still has 11 inadequate drainage systems covering about 17 square kilometers.

Officials said they had found some construction sites and restaurants pouring garbage into sewers.