Beijing's western areas took brunt of flooding

The historic torrential rainfall from July 29 to Aug 2 in Beijing brought severe flooding, with the city's western mountainous areas hit hardest and sustaining significant damage, officials said at a news conference held on Monday.

A preliminary assessment found 369 reported geological disasters in the city — 10.5 times the average annual number, Vice-Mayor Xia Linmao said.

The heavy rains resulted in extensive damage to infrastructure in the mountainous regions. More than 110 rivers or streams experienced floods exceeding safety levels, and more than 280 kilometers of river embankments were damaged. Four medium-sized reservoirs, 13 small reservoirs and 16 water gates were damaged.

Water supply plants, sewage treatment facilities, water pipelines and drainage pipelines were also affected, impacting the availability of water in 507 villages.

Additionally, power facilities, including electrical lines and distribution equipment, were damaged, leading to power outages in 273 villages and 16 residential areas. Communication facilities, such as base stations and transmission towers, were destroyed, interrupting service in 342 villages; The road network was damaged, resulting in traffic disruptions in 256 villages, according to official data.

One of the hardest-hit areas was Fangshan district, where heavy rains caused significant losses, said Zou Jinsong, Party chief of Fangshan, at the news conference.

More than 10 county-level roads, 230 rural roads and 119 bridges were partially damaged or destroyed; 77 villages were cut off because of road damage and around 21,500 households were affected. More than 60,000 houses collapsed or were severely damaged. More than 6,300 vehicles were submerged, and 13,333 hectares of farmland were flooded, bringing significant crop losses.

The unprecedented rain caused the most devastating, widespread and economically costly natural disaster ever recorded in Mentougou district, said Yu Huafeng, Party chief of Mentougou. It brought great losses in both life and property.

Roughly 310,000 people, accounting for 77 percent of the district's population, were affected, with 8,418 collapsed rooms and 26,493 severely damaged rooms.

Significant destruction was observed in infrastructure, including roads, power and water supplies and communication networks. Rebuilding will be necessary in 40 villages in the district.

In response to the damaged vehicles, Mentougou district has opened a green channel for insurance claims.

As of Monday, a total of 4,328 vehicles were reported damaged, with 1,188 vehicles already assessed and compensated, involving more than 32.6 million yuan ($4.5 million).

To better meet the needs of car owners for vehicle repair or replacement, the district will organize automobile dealerships in September to provide discounts and special consumption coupons for damaged vehicles.