Beijing to Buttress Old Buildings Aiming for Improving Earthquake Resistance Capability 

Authorities in Beijing will reinforce the city's old buildings over the next five years to enhance their earthquake resistance capability, according to a blueprint from the local seismological bureau.

All buildings in China's capital will be able to resist quakes of intensity VIII on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale by the end of 2015, according to the 2011-2015 plan for the city's quake-resistance and disaster-reduction issued recently by the Beijing Earthquake Administration.

Seismic activity around the globe has tended to be active since 2008 when an 8-magnitude quake struck Wenchuan County in southwest China's Sichuan Province, and at least 28 quakes above 7-magnitude have been recorded since 2010, the plan said.

It is necessary for Beijing to improve the quake resistance of its old buildings in both urban and rural areas, especially those built before 1980, the plan says.

The local government has launched a five-year campaign to reinforce and reconstruct old buildings, including schools, kindergartens, hospitals and apartment buildings, the plan says.

Throughout its history, Beijing has incurred earthquake damage as the city is located on the intersection of the Yanshan seismic belt and the North China Plain seismic zone.

Source: Xinhua