Half of capitals weather stations not functional

More than half of Beijing's national-level meteorological stations are not functional, China News Service reported on Wednesday.

Lin Keqing, deputy mayor of Beijing, was quoted as saying tall buildings around the stations block the wind, making the stations unable to accurately monitor weather.

The only two weather radars in the city are blocked by newly built high buildings, as well as the only national reference climatologic station.

As a result of similar problems, five stations have been relocated.

The Regulation on the Protection of Meteorological Facilities and Meteorological Observation Environment, which came into effect on Dec 1, 2012, specifies the limitations of construction near the stations. However, implementing the regulations requires coordination between different planning departments, such as the city planning department.

Lin said China's technology for weather forecasting and early warning lags behind that of developed countries.

At present, there are about 300 meteorological stations in the capital, Beijing News reported. In two years, the city will build 200 new automatic weather stations, according to the report.