China to install experimental alert system in quake-prone areas: official

Source: Xinhua | 05-11-2009 17:34

BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese official said Monday that an experimental earthquake alert system, capable of sending warnings within seconds before a quake strikes, would be installed in quake-prone areas.

Du Wei, deputy director of the Department of Earthquake Disaster Prevention of the China Earthquake Administration, told reporters that the time varied for warnings to reach population centers depending on the location of the earthquake.

The system could send warnings to the epicenter area within seconds when quakes occurred on land, while it took one to three minutes for the signals to reach populated areas in the case of under-sea quakes, Du said.

The alert system, which would be established "within years," was still experimental and could not provide fully effective information, he said.

There was a process of operating, experimenting, adjusting and improving, he said.

The white paper on "China's Actions for Disaster Prevention and Reduction," issued by the Information Office of the State Council (cabinet) Monday, said that a disaster monitoring and early warning system had taken initial shape in China.