A deputy to the second session of the 11th Sichuan people's congress, which ended yesterday, has submitted a proposal to the local legislative body's standing committee, asking for approval for the establishment of an Anti-Disaster Day.

Zhai Feng, chief of the environment and resource protection committee with the Guangyuan municipal people's congress in Sichuan, said May 12 should be named Anti-Disaster Day to commemorate the Wenchuan earthquake that killed 68,683 people and left more than 10 million homeless in the province.

The quake revealed the public's lack of knowledge of what to do in the event of a natural disaster, he said.

The establishment of Anti-Disaster Day will enhance people's awareness of the need for disaster prevention, serve as a reminder to other regions to adopt effective measures to cope with disasters, and pave the way for the creation of a national day, he said.

In his proposal, Zhai suggested that anti-disaster drills be held in schools, communities and workplaces every year on May 12.

Lectures and exhibitions on how to cope with disasters could also be held, he said.

Many people have called for the establishment of a special day to enhance people's ability to respond to disasters such as earthquakes.

China is frequently hit by natural disasters, Zhao Peng, an NPC deputy, said.

While its land area accounts for just 7 percent of the world's total, it suffers a third of all earthquakes, he said.

A national Anti-Disaster Day will help improve the disaster relief systems, he said.

In recent years, governments at all levels have formulated methods of how to respond to disasters, but they are not well practiced, Zhao said.

With a national Anti-Disaster Day, people and authorities can test their systems and improve them, he said.

(China Daily January 20, 2009)