China’s quake-hit county may move to new site
May 21st, 2008 - 8:18 pm ICT by adminXinhua
Mianyang (China), May 21 (Xinhua) Beichuan, the worst-hit county in the May 12 earthquake in southwestern China, will be rebuilt on a new site in neighbouring Anxian county, according to a preliminary plan. The exact location is yet to be decided, but it is likely to be on the flat land of Anxian county, some 20 km from the devastated area, said an official of the Sichuan provincial government who added that the plan was awaiting official approval.
The low-lying original county lay directly over a geological fracture zone, where quakes have frequently taken place in previous centuries, and it was encircled by mountains, leaving the buildings at a high risk of landslides.
“Safety is the top priority in selecting a new location and reconstruction,” said Beichuan’s Communist Party chief Song Ming.
“We plan to build a monument and a memorial to the quake victims on the previous location.”
The administration of the levelled Beichuan country now functions from a floor of the five-storey Tianlong Hotel in Anchang township.
About 70 percent of the buildings in the county seat, some 90 km from the quake epicentre Wenchuan, was destroyed and “not a single building in the once-prosperous township is safe”, said Song.
“It is impossible to rebuild the county seat at the original location or nearby,” he said.
Wu Zhenhan, an expert from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences who is investigating the damage at Beichuan, called for caution in the selection of the new location.
“We should draw lessons from the tragedy this time, which reminds us of the importance of a full evaluation of disaster risks before the massive reconstruction project,” said Wu.
The provincial government had finished a draft plan of Beichuan county’s reconstruction, including site selection of the new county seat, the reconstruction of the other townships and survivor resettlement, said a provincial government official, who declined to give his name.
Xinhua
- China races the clock as quake toll nears 12,000 (Lead) - May 13, 2008
- 125 fall ill after mudslide-triggered gas leak in China - Jul 04, 2011
- 6.8-magnitude quake rocks Chile - Feb 12, 2011
- Survivors recount heroic teachers in China quake nightmares - May 27, 2008
- Chronology of world's major quakes since 1900 - Mar 11, 2011
- Magnitude 6.1 earthquake jolts China quake area (Lead) - Aug 01, 2008
- Moderate earthquake in China - Jan 15, 2009
- 7.1 magnitude quake kills 67 in China's Tibetan Autonomous Region - Apr 14, 2010
- Strong quake jolts Mexico - Mar 21, 2012
- 300-km aftershock zone formed after China quake: expert - Jun 26, 2008
- China earthquake toll rises to 5,000 (Fourth Lead) - May 13, 2008
- Japan issues tsunami alert after 7.4-magnitude quake (Second Lead) - Apr 07, 2011
- Afghan security personnel overrun Taliban stronghold - Jan 24, 2012
- 7.2 quake hits Chile, no tsunami threat (Lead) - Mar 26, 2012
- Landslides during China quake results in formation of 21 lakes - May 19, 2008
Tags: chinese academy, communist party, county seat, draft plan, exact location, fracture zone, geological sciences, government official, landslides, massive reconstruction project, mianyang, original county, provincial government, quake victims, quakes, sichuan, site selection, southwestern china, top priority, xinhua
