Government and Policy

Authorities to be forced to act in disasters

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-31 00:08

BEIJING - Chinese authorities will be required by law from April 1 to draw up emergency response plans for severe weather disasters and to take measures to protect people's lives.

The country's first meteorological disaster prevention regulation, which comes into effect Thursday, has six chapters and 48 items to guide disaster control and prevention work, said Gao Fengtao, deputy director of the legislative office of the State Council, Tuesday at a news conference held by the State Council Information Office.

The regulation requires local governments to make response plans for frequent meteorological disasters in their areas, such as typhoons, rainstorms, blizzards, high temperatures, lighting and fog.

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The regulation requires local governments to enhance monitoring of disaster-prone areas and to establish information sharing systems.

It also requires authorities to take timely contingency measures, including evacuation, provision of medical services, prevention of epidemic outbreaks and maintaining public order.

Authorities in different areas affected by the same meteorological disaster must coordinate and cooperate in their operations.

News organizations and media must publish severe weather reports or warnings as required or face a fine of up to 50,000 yuan ($7,324).

China is severely affected by disastrous weather, with economic losses reaching 200 billion to 300 billion yuan ($29.3 billion to $43.9 billion) every year, equivalent to 1-3 percent of the country's GDP, said Zheng Guoguang, director of the China Meteorological Administration.

Zheng said the administration had dispatched six disaster relief teams to southwest China areas that were seriously affected by prolonged drought, and had deployed 12 flights to help create artificial precipitation from March 22 to 28.

Zheng said 1,959 counties nationwide had begun cloud seeding operations to induce rainfall.

He said the nation had 6,533 artillery cannon and 5,939 rocket launchers dedicated to artificial precipitation.

Every year more than 30 aircraft were used for cloud seeding.