Landslides, mud and rock flows, cave-ins -- the number of disastrous geological events in China were unprecedented this year with 15.4 percent more people killed or missing than in previous years, said the Ministry of Land and Resources on Saturday.

 

The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) said 578 people died in 17,751 geological incidents last year with a further 104 missing and 339 injured. SEPA said the typhoons that struck China this year had had a big geological impact.

 

In the tumultuous period from the end of June to the beginning of August a typhoon hit the Chinese mainland every nine days causing landslides and mud-rock flows.

 

Meteorological departments are forecasting more geological incidents with even heavier losses over the next 12 months because of abnormal climatic changes and unsafe construction projects.

 

New mining or construction projects in areas prone to geological problems won't be approved unless there are plans for disaster prevention and control, said Li Yuan, deputy head of the ministry.

 

Official data shows 35 million Chinese people live under the threat of geological disaster with 80 percent of them in rural areas.

 

The government has launched a campaign to train rural residents in self-organized disaster prevention and relief as their warnings and aid are often hampered by remoteness and inadequate communications.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 31, 2006)