The capital has strived to build a safe place for its residents through strengthening its capacity of defending the city from earthquakes and other disasters, director of the municipal seismological bureau Xiu Jigang said on Wednesday.

"It is a must for bridges, reservoirs, nuclear power plants, and buildings of more than 100 meters, as well as electricity, water and gas facilities, to have equipment installed that will protect against strong shocks," said the draft of Beijing's implementation method on laws concerning earthquake prevention, which was discussed by the municipal People's Congress on Wednesday.

The deputies also advised that more attention be paid to earthquake prevention with regards to the city's historical relics and ancient architecture.

A fine ranging from 5,000 yuan (US$603) to 50,000 yuan (US$6,030) has also been proposed and would be enforced on those who refuse to pay more attention to earthquake prevention.

China has used the "strong shock observation device" since 1960 and currently has only 300 of them, although Shen Mengpei, member of the standing committee of the congress and researcher of the State Seismological Bureau, believes that this number is nowhere near enough.

"The use of equipment will improve our forecast of earthquakes, and will give us a bigger picture of the damage it can cause," said Xiu.

The draft noted that any current buildings which fail to come up to the national standard are required to be consolidated with anti-quake measures.

In August, Xie Lili, a researcher of the State Seismological Bureau, suggested that precautions against earthquakes should also be considered when construction begins on stadiums for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Beijing topped the list of China's 16 major cities which ought to take effective precautions against possible earthquakes, which was authorized in 1996 by the State Council, according to Xiu.

Since AD 294, Beijing has experienced 206 earthquakes of above magnitude 4, including one of magnitude 8.

There have already been 20 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities with local regulations implementing laws on earthquake prevention, which went into effect in 1998, according to Xiu.

The municipal government strives to ensure the personal safety of its residents at all costs, through both safety measures on properties and crackdowns on fake goods.

(chinadaily.com 09/15/2001)