China's cities must do more to prepare for and handle natural disasters, experts have warned.

In a report on urban development commissioned by the Ministry of Construction, experts said that 70 per cent of China's big cities are likely to suffer from natural disasters such as floods, typhoons, droughts, blizzards and earthquakes. However, many need to strengthen their disas- ter prevention and relief system.

The report was published at a forum yesterday organized by the China Mayors' Association.

Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan noted the report's conclusions in his keynote speech, warning that "many municipal governments in China are weak in urban management and disaster prevention."

He also called on the nearly 300 mayors who attended the one-day forum to abandon blind expansion of cities and focus their time and energy on increasing disaster preparation and prevention capacities.

Zeng warned that as the number of residents in major cities grows, "any natural disaster could catch many people unprepared if we continuously ignore the problems occurring in the process of urban sprawl."

China's urbanization rate was 43 per cent in 2005 and by 2020 the rate is likely to reach 60 per cent.

"However, China's cities are vulnerable in terms of disaster relief," warned Shi Peijun, a professor with Beijing Normal University, who led the team in writing the chapter on urban disaster prevention in the annual report.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has also pinpointed natural disasters as a major challenge facing China.

"As well as natural disasters, other security concerns such as pollution, public health accidents and gang crimes are factors the country needs to give careful consideration to," the UNDP and the Ministry of Construction said in another report on China's urban development challenges. The draft report will be delivered and published in October.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs said last week that China is facing its most severe natural disaster situation in six years.

By August 15, natural disasters had killed 2,006 people, affected more than 316 million people and caused losses of 160 billion yuan (US$20 billion) this year.

The disasters also left 624 people missing and forced 12.95 million residents to be evacuated. Nearly 36 million hectares of farmland have been affected.

Shi also suggested that the country should continuously increase spending on disaster relief. Although spending has risen from 1.9 billion yuan (US$230 million) in 1995 to 4 billion yuan (US$500 million) in 2004, in percentage terms it has decreased.

According to international standards, the central government should contribute 0.8 per cent of its total financial expenditure to disaster prevention and relief. But the ratio in China has decreased from 0.96 per cent in 1995 to 0.4 per cent now.

Shi also suggested that China should build more national disaster-relief reserve centres in southern and western China, where natural disasters take place frequently.

China now has 10 national reserve centres, and similar centres should be built in Yunnan, the Tibet Autonomous Region and western provinces, said Shi.

"The arrangement will not only benefit China but also neighbouring countries when China decides to deliver aid when accidents happen in other countries," said Shi.

Source: China Daily