Schools, hospitals more earthquake resistant

Beijing - Schools and hospital buildings in Beijing will have to raise their ability to withstand earthquakes after the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress proposed raising the seismic intensity scale from 8 to 8.5, a level higher than general construction in the city, Beijing Morning Post reported on Wednesday.

The implementation rules of the "Law of the People's Republic of China on Protecting Against and Mitigating Earthquake Disasters" in Beijing had its first deliberation at the committee's 33rd session meeting.

According to the rules, new construction, expansion and renovation projects should be in accordance with the earthquake mitigation standards of Beijing.

In addition to new construction projects, existing green spaces, parks and sports centers are to be renovated as earthquake emergency shelters.

Structural reviews will be carried out every two year to ensure the quality of the shelters. The locations of the shelters should be made public.

The urban construction and environmental protection committee also proposed the formation of a volunteer and emergency rescue team to carry out emergency drills and rescue activities.

"Glass curtain walls on high-rise buildings should be banned to avoid injury and loss of property in times of earthquakes," said Wu Shixiong, the deputy of People's Congress of Beijing Municipality.

"Emergency shelters should be incorporated into town planning. Such shelters should be included in the new large-scale community construction projects and can be used generally as gardens or fitness centers," deputy Xi Wenqi suggested.

There are currently 71 earthquake emergency shelters in Beijing, taking up a total area of 14.06 million square meters and offering accommodation for 2.35 million – which is just 1/10 of the total population in the city. Problems of uneven distribution and poor maintenance are yet to be addressed.