China’s earthquake early warning system (EEWS) now covers 650 million people, said Wang Tun, president of Chengdu-based Institute of Care-Life.

He told thepaper.cn that the pre-warning time of the EEWS took only 7 seconds in the most recent earthquake that struck on August 8 in Jiuzhaigou county, Sichuan province.

According to him, the system sent warnings to armed police corps, fire agents, government and the public just before the quake hit the region.

Some 11 schools in 6 cities received the warning 5 to 38 seconds prior to the arrival of the seismic wave. However, some other schools failed to receive the warning because the devices were turned off.

Researcher Chen Huizhong of the Institute of Earthquake Forecasting under China’s Earthquake Administration said the system’s efficiency varies in different regions and is divided into shadow, favored and inactive areas.

Chen noted that earthquake early warning is not forecasting, adding that the latter predicts the time and location of a quake before it happens. “But seismic forecasting still lacks scientific support,” he explained.

EEWS only warns the people after the earthquake actually happens through mobile phones, Internet, emergency radio and specialized reception equipment because radio waves are transmitted faster than seismic waves, the researcher explained.

It was learnt that the EEWS of the Institute of Care-Life covers 2.2 million square kilometers or 90 percent of China’s densely-populated earthquake-prone areas. It has so far successfully warned against 38 destructive earthquakes.

However, Wang said the reception aspect of the system was weak. Though it covers 650 million people, less than 2 percent of China’s population can actually use the system.

“I hope technology and administration would be fully integrated in future to maximize the impact of the system and reduce losses,” Wang added.