The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China has decided to invest one billion yuan (US$120 million) to help rebuild residential houses in its earthquake-vulnerable areas.

An official with the regional government said that the project was launched to improve the anti-quake performance of local residential houses and reduce the loss from possible earthquakes to the minimum.

The project will focus on the areas of the western part of the Tianshan Mountains and both urban and rural houses will be included into the program.

The official said that 30 poverty-stricken counties are located in the earthquake-vulnerable areas and local farmers and herders are currently living in houses almost with no anti-seismic measures.

Authorities have started a survey on the aseismatic performance of local people's present houses.

Besides governmental subsidy, the official said, residents can also apply for loans from local banks.

Two major earthquakes hit Xinjiang last year and they killed some 300 people as a result of house collapse. The quakes also caused economic losses of billions of yuan.

(Xinhau News Agency March 27, 2004)