Wenchuan earthquake made mountainsides more unstable

Fan Xiao, a senior engineer with the Sichuan Geology and Mineral Bureau of Regional Geological Survey Team / CHINA DAILY

In order to address this issue, the government has arranged for the mountainous areas of the province to be monitored since 2008, and organized many engineering programs to improve the local conditions. However, some people still construct their houses in dangerous areas. A large percentage of the land in Sichuan is in mountainous areas where the land available for construction is limited. In some cities they dig into the mountains for new constructions and in others there are even buildings located in places which are prone to floods.

The growing population and the accelerated urbanization process increase the risks of such disasters. We can have strict safety standards, but these standards must be strictly followed to ensure safety.