Preventing secondary disasters an urgent task

Preventing secondary disasters such as landslides and mud-rock flows triggered by heavy rain and frequent aftershocks is now an "urgent task", the State Council's quake relief headquarters said yesterday.

"New geological disasters can happen any time," the headquarters warned at a meeting, presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao.

Work must be expedited to remove the dangers posed by of the quake lakes, dams and hydropower plants, as well as dikes damaged in the quake, the headquarters said.