The earthquake monitoring center at the Three Gorges area inside the Chongqing section began construction Tuesday in Shizhu County, Chongqing. This center is the first of its kind in Three Gorges area and it will provide technical support regarding operation safety, earthquake damage relief and geologic disaster evaluation.

According to the Earthquake Bureau of Shizhu County, the earthquake monitoring center was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission and the China Earthquake Administration. The center, at a cost of about 2.2 million yuan (US$296,000), will be finished in July of 2008. The total area consists of 0.67 hectares.

The center will monitor and issue advisory earthquake warning information for the surrounding districts and counties. This information will be collected and processed and then reported to the Chongqing Municipal Earthquake Bureau.

The earthquake and geological environment in the Three Gorges area is complex and the potential for earthquakes and other geological disasters is quite real. About 85 percent of Three Gorges area is in the jurisdiction of Chongqing.

(China.org.cn by Chen Lin, November 21, 2007)