Official calls for stronger monitoring of reservoir-induced quakes

A senior official with China's Earthquake Administration (CEA) has called for increasing efforts in monitoring reservoir-induced quakes in light of increasing numbers of large reservoir construction projects.

"With the country's irrigation and hydropower industries experiencing rapid development, we will require coordinated efforts from related departments to enhance the monitoring of reservoir-induced quakes," said CEA deputy director Yin Chaomin at a Wednesday meeting concerning the implementation of regulations concerning reservoir-induced earthquake monitoring.

According to the regulations, which will take effect on May 1, a new quake monitoring network should be set up for every newly constructed reservoir with a height of 100 meters or more and a storage capacity of 500 million cubic meters or more.

Each network should have at least four monitoring stations, according to the regulations.

Statistics from the CEA show that China currently has more than 100 of these large reservoirs, or one-sixth of the world's total.

The country had only 10 or so such reservoirs in the 1970s.

According to the CEA, these reservoirs are concentrated in the quake-prone western regions of China.

Yin urged the improvement of technical standards in the industry and encouraged relevant departments to keep detailed records to upgrade management procedures in relation to the monitoring of reservoir-induced quakes.

Source: Xinhua

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