Weather disaster prevention targeted in new Beijing regulation

Beijing plans to establish a shared information platform to monitor meteorological hazards, as a way to reduce or avoid the potential loss and damage from weather-related disasters.

The decision was set in a regulation, considered the first regarding weather prevention in Beijing, that was passed by the capital's top legislature on Friday, aiming to improve its meteorological disaster prevention mechanisms.

The regulation stipulates that the related departments of Beijing can adopt emergency measures, such as temporary traffic control and water usage limits, to improve the prevention capacity of the city.

According to the regulation, the Beijing municipal government should conduct surveys every five years over the city's disaster categories, strength and losses, and make the results public.

It also emphasizes that any units or individuals who spread unauthorized information about weather-related disasters will be punished. The regulation will be carried out on January 1 next year.