The Shanghai Municipal People's Congress is reviewing a draft regulation that aims to alleviate one of the city's major geological problems - it is sinking, local media reported Tuesday.
The problem, whose technical name is land subsidence, is a side effect from the rapid construction that the city has undergone over the last three decades. It can knock subway tracks out of alignment, make it easier for the city to flood and, in its worst cases, cause buildings to collapse.
If approved, the draft regulation would require construction firms to conduct a hazard assessment on projects that require digging seven meters or more into the earth, if the ground in the surrounding area is prone to sinking, according to the report. In other areas, firms would have to do the assessment if they dig more than 15 meters deep.
If the assessment reveals potential dangers, the construction firm would have to take measures such as reinforcing the ground around the foundation, said Lou Xiaoming, a professor at the School of Civil Engineering at Tongji University.
Under the draft regulation, a construction firm can be fined up to 500,000 yuan ($80,150) for failing to make government-stipulated changes following an assessment.
Landmark building should respect the public's feeling
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