By Yao Lan, Shanghai Star. 2002-06-27

Zhang Peifang explains that all the furniture in her house is placed on bricks as a preventive measure against the plum rains.

Although the local authorities strive to improve the drainage system and relocate people to improve their lives, many households still crouch in structures with low ceilings and sultry attics.

AS the rain poured down from ashen skies last Friday morning, 70-year-old Zhang Peifang stood at the window, looking into the yard where the water hit the tiles, accumulated into currents and flowed down into pots under the eaves.

About two hours later, the yard had almost become a pond, with the green leaves of the plants shining in the rain.

The rainy season is familiar to the elderly woman, who has spent her life years in the century-old house.

"Downfalls would last for a period of around 25 days," she said slowly. "It was annoying in those days."

Plum rain

The plum rains fall in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze from mid-June until early July.

The rains coincide with the ripening of the plum. Mold proliferates due to the damp. Mold and plum bear the same pronunciation of "mei", so it is mold rain season in many people's minds.

What confuses many local residents living in old houses is not just the mold but also the downpours that turn into floods in their houses.

The problem is mainly attributed to the poor drainage network in the city. Some of the pipes were laid more than half a century ago, and many are blocked by different kinds of waste including cement mud. So the pipes may fail to sustain the rushing water during the plum rains. On the other hand, many old houses subsided, whose grounds are even lower than that of streets. With nowhere to go, the swelling water easily enters households situated at low positions.

Many locals use pots and basins to bail the water out of their houses, and some even have to place a plank at the door as a dam to battle the invading water.

Although the local authorities strive to improve the drainage system and relocate people to improve their lives, many households still crouch in structures with low ceilings and sultry attics.

Zhangs' story

Zhang's family is one of them, residing in a house inherited from her ancestors in Huangpu District. She is a veteran of many battles against the rainwater.

To combat the water, she and her family members often have to raise the ground level of the house, which was as high as that of the yard but is now about 30 centimetres higher.

"Look," she said, pointing to the yard. Water there may reach one's ankle. "If the ground of the house was not lifted, I might now be standing in water."

Yet the raised ground was only the first prevention measure. In the house, all her electric appliances and furniture has long been underlaid with bricks.

"In the past, as long as the heavy rain kept falling for two or three hours, water in the house would almost reach your calves, and waterproof boots proved useless," she said.

While the water takes a long time to retreat, the room may be totally dry a few days later. For the sake of hygiene, Zhang has to wash the floor with clean water.

"It was smelly in the damp and moldy room, everything seemed to be wet," she said.

If there is heavy rain or the rain has not retreated at night, the family has to sleep in the room surrounded by water.

Sometimes, if it keeps on raining in the daytime on workdays, employees in some factories may be allowed to go back home to save their property.

"The plum rains have long been an exception to many Shanghai people," Zhang recalled.

While the rains are a headache for many adults, who have to busy themselves bailing the water out of their houses during the night, for children, it is a happy time.

"It will be their happiest time when the water fills the corridors and yards. My children sit in large basins to go boating in the little pond," she said laughing.

Now both of her children have moved out of the old house and have started their own families, but they will also come back to lend a hand during the rainy days.

Moreover, thanks to the endeavours of local authorities, new drainage pipelines were laid several years ago, and this to some extent avoided water flow into rooms in the community.

The new pipes worked well last August during the once-in-100-year downpour, and the old woman only tackled the water twice.

"Also, the water was as high as my ankles," she recalled. "In the past, my encounters would double, and the height of the water may triple."

Damp homes

Zhu Fengming was not so lucky. She and her neighbours living in Luwan District had to battle water almost twice a week last summer.

"The house even dripped in the past," said the 77-year-old woman, who has lived in a century-old house for 54 years. "There was a downpour outside and drizzle inside."

The yearly water marked a clear line on the wall in the house, and the lichen also left green traces when it climbed onto the wall in the damp house.

Another problem that troubled Zhu was pests, such as mosquitoes, flies and rats. Although such disgusting vermin can easily be found in areas with old houses, during rainy days, rats become more active in water.

Seeing that some old houses nearby had been demolished and their residents relocated, Zhu and her neighbours also longed to move out of the annoying place.

"It will be a delight to have a new house without these disturbances," she said, although she knew that relocation might still be several years' away.

"By then, these old pots will be discarded," she said with a smile, pointing to some pots piled out of the house which were used to contain rain water.

Yet, to Zhang, her deep attachment to the old house makes her hesitant to leave, even though the dampness brought by the frequent rainfall has made her suffer from arthritis.

"The modern apartment may be secluded from outsiders," she said. "And the old house is from my forefathers."