The central government plans to set up an early warning system and an emergency headquarters for dealing with geological disasters, said Lu Xinshe, vice minister of the Ministry of Land Resources Sunday.

Lu, who spoke at a working conference on the issue of e-government of the ministry, the early warning system will become one of the three safety networks to be built by the ministry in the coming four years. The other two are designed for protecting land and mineral resources, respectively.

The geological early warning system will be able to monitor the disasters and collect data and information in the field, which is expected to increase the country's capabilities in controlling geological disasters and reducing losses brought about by the disasters.

In 2003, a total of 13,832 geological disasters were reported in the country, leaving 743 deaths, 125 missing, and 564 injured, as well as a direct financial loss of 4.87 billion yuan (about US$588 million).

(Xinhua News Agency April 26, 2004)