BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Beijing is planning and building five flood-control reservoirs in its mountainous areas, marking the first time in nearly half a century that the Chinese capital has launched such an initiative, the Beijing Water Authority said on Thursday.

The five reservoirs are located in the upper reaches of the Yongding, Juma, Dashi and Wenyu rivers.

In recent years, Beijing has been comprehensively advancing the construction of flood control infrastructure, according to the authority.

Reservoirs are being constructed in the upper reaches of major rivers to trap floodwater and reduce peak flows, while in the middle reaches the river channels are being dredged and embankments reinforced to speed up drainage. Downstream, drainage and diversion systems are being upgraded to prevent waterlogging. When coordinated with flood storage and detention areas, these efforts enable scientific regulation, helping maximize safety during the flood season.

Building of the Erdaohe and Zuanziling reservoirs, two of the five reservoirs, is well underway, while construction of a third, the Xifengshan reservoir, has started, said Yang Xiaolei, deputy chief engineer of the Beijing Institute of Water.

"Reservoirs can effectively reduce downstream flood control pressure through measures such as retaining, storing, cutting and staggering floodwaters," explained Fan Bin, an official with the Beijing Water Authority. Beijing currently has 80 reservoirs, controlling a mountainous area of 6,830 square kilometers, which accounts for 68 percent of the city's total mountainous area.

When the five reservoirs are finished, the controlled mountainous area will rise from 68 percent to 84 percent, forming a reservoir-based flood control barrier across Beijing's northern and western mountains.

This will enhance the flood control capacity for Beijing's mountain areas, the central city, the sub-center and Xiong'an New Area in north China's Hebei Province, while also strengthening the broader flood control system of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Fan added. ■