Governments urged to plan for natural disasters

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-6-24  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

CHINESE President Hu Jintao has urged governments at all levels to include the monitoring, forecast and prevention of natural disasters as a critical part of their social and economic development plans.

Hu said the science and knowledge on disaster prevention should be included in the country's educational programs, to increase the knowledge and capabilities about disaster prevention among all Chinese people.

Hu made the proposals yesterday, while addressing the joint inaugural ceremony of both of the 14th Congress of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Ninth Congress of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Science.

In his speech, he showed special concerns over disaster prevention and reduction and called for giving priority to the study and forecasting of natural disasters of various kinds.

China was among countries that were mostly plagued by various natural disasters, with 70 percent of its cities and 50 percent of its 1.3 billion population located in areas that are vulnerable to one or more kinds of natural disasters, he said.

Hu urged scientists to work on studies of natural disasters; strengthen the capabilities of monitoring and alarming; establish a network of monitoring, research and forecasting in the country; and further study the relations between different disasters, between disasters and the environment, and between disasters and economic and social development.