Beijing renews orange alert for rainstorms

BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing Meteorological Observatory on Sunday morning issued an orange warning for rainstorms after the accumulated rainfall in some areas of the capital had exceeded 150 mm.

Mountainous areas are at risk of secondary disasters such as floods and mountain torrents, while water logging is expected in low-lying urban areas, said the observatory.

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

Some scenic spots in Beijing, including Fragrant Hills Park, Beijing Botanical Garden and the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, were temporarily closed on Sunday. The Jin'anqiao subway station was also closed down due to water-logging outside the station.

Several road sections in Fangshan District were disrupted due to rain-triggered landslides, while six railway bridges in districts of Shijingshan, Changping, Fengtai and Mentougou have been closed due to ponding. Authorities are carrying out emergency treatment.

The municipal water affairs bureau activated a level IV emergency response for floods on Sunday morning, the lowest of the four-tier emergency response system. It has mobilized 8,000 people and three emergency monitoring and reporting teams to make preparations for flood control.

The Beijing Drainage Group Co., Ltd., the city's drainage system operator, also strengthened its emergency rescue capacity, with 2,907 flood control staff on stand-by.