BEIJING, Feb 20 – China is planning to build a national earthquake monitoring and warning system in five years, Xinhua news agency reported. While the system would never be able to forecast an earthquake, it could detect quakes and notify people within seconds before seismic waves hit them, an official with the China Earthquake Administration (CEA) said.
“Timely warnings may reduce casualties and economic losses resulting from earthquakes,” he said. The project includes the establishment of some 5,000 stations across the country with funds of 2 billion yuan (US$320.4 million).
A trial programme including some 100 monitoring stations is currently being carried out in southeast China’s Fujian Province and has proven successful.
BERNAMA
