Environmentalists warn of potential quake disaster
Mainland environmentalists have launched a petition urging the government to fast-track the establishment of an earthquake warning system in the southwest.
They said it would help prevent a human disaster such as the Asian tsunami triggered by the recent Indonesian earthquake.
A geological warning network was critical to protect the public amid plans to build a series of massive dams in the region for hydroelectric power projects, they added.
Premier Wen Jiabao had recently ordered the appropriate agencies to establish such a system, environmentalists said.
'At a time when China is developing the southwest's water resources, there must be an adherence to Premier Wen Jiabao's order in which an earthquake warning network and forecasting system for current and future large-scale water resources protection be established,' they said.