Disaster Reduction in the Last Decade by the Ministry of Health

The Ministry of Health has been an active participant in the activities of the International Decadefor Natural Disaster Reduction.Following the assignment of the Government,the Ministry hastaken the responsibility of conducting disaster relief and disease prevention in cooperation withdepartments concerned,and effectively prevented the happening and spreading of major epidemicdiseases whenever the country suffered a catastrophic natural disaster.It has secured the healthand safety of the pe…     

Concept of Flood Risk Map and Its Application

1 The concept of flood risk map and its mapping procedure Flood risk management is the process for analysis and assessment of flood risks as well as to form and implement the disaster mitigation plans. Flood risk analysis is the basic work of flood risk assessment and management that can provide people with the possibilities of flood occurrence and its risk in specific areas and consequently raise the public awareness of flood help to form a reasonable flood prevention plan. However, flood ris…     

Speech at the Meeting on the International Disaster Reduction Day

(12 October 2 0 0 0)Comrades,The theme of this year's international disaster reduction day is" Disaster Prevention,Educationand Youth" .The purpose of this meeting is to review the activities we have taken for theInternational Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction(IDNDR) ,to summarize our achievementsand experience with disaster reduction,to predictthe disaster reduction situation and mission thatChina is to face in the 2 1 st century,and to identify the appropriate approaches to work in…     

Seismic Disaster Reduction in China

Great accomplishments have been made in seismic disaster reduction in China's engineeringconstruction and city construction projects during the pastdecade(1 990～ 2 0 0 0 ) .A new nationalmap on the division of seismic intensity has been promulgated,and a series of anti-seismicstandards and norms have been drafted or revised,which has further improved the country'stechnical code system on anti-seismic engineering measures. The Anti-seismic ArchitecturalDesigning Standards,revised and adopted…     

Study on Flood Disasters in China

The occurrence of a flood disaster is a reflection of both nature and society:natural condition of aflood disaster is the appearance of floodwater,which is requisite;while the social-economic causeas a sufficient condition lies in human activities.We can classify flood disasters into fourcategories according to their formation mechanism and regional characteristics:burst,overflow,flood catastrophe and deluge.China is a country of frequent flood disasters.From2 0 0 B.C.to1 949,there had occurr…     

Natural Disaster Situation from January to June in 2000

Microtherm and cool injurySince2 0 December1 999,a cold wave has attacked Guangdong,Guangxi and Yunnan provinces.In the most areas the temperature suddenly dropped,and in some areas occurred serious frost.The disaster caused serious damage to the industrial crops(such as sugarcane,banana,longan,mango,rubber,coffee,etc.) and fishery.(1 ) Regions affected:over 5 0 counties in Zhuang Autonomous Region of GuangxiCasualties:1 2 million people affected,470 9injuredMaterial damage:1 33million ha …     

DEPOSITI EOLICI E DI VERSANTE AL MARGINE DEI TRAVERTINI DI CARVANNO(Val Degagna,Brescia): SEDIMENTAZIONE E PEDOGENESI TRA IL PLEISTOCENE SUPERIORE E L''''OLOCENE

Loess and slope deposits at the edge of the Carvanno Travertine(Val Degagna-Brescia).Sedimentary processes and soil development between the Upper Pleistocene and the Holocene.The Au-thors describe a sequence some 4 metres thick composed of slope and loess deposits which lies at analtitude of 360 metres,20 metres above the Torrente Agna.The series belongs to a polyciclic soil compo-sed of 4 lithostratigrapbic units which,from the bottom to the top,are as follows:—slightly weathered loess(Ⅳ C1);—red clayey soil sediments(Ⅲ B2)resulting from the erosion of a more ancient paleosol of《TerraRossa》type,developed during the Middle Pleistocene at the top of the Carvanno Tarvertine;—undisturbed loess and loess displaced by gelifluction(Ⅱ B21t/Ⅱ B23t);—recent colluvial deposits(A1+B1).The sequence was deposited between the Upper Pleistocene and the Holocene.During the Upper Pleisto-cene the loess deposition,alternated with colluvial and gelifluction phases,was caused by cold-humidclimatic conditions.During the postglacial,the loess was affected by weathering which lead to the deve-lopment of an alfisol.The mieromorphological analysis evidenced several stages in the postglacial soilforming process.First,in unstable geomorphological conditions,complex cutans(scheletans-matransiltans)covered the walls of the soil pores.In a later period,as a result of landscape stability,laminated andbirefringent ferri-argillans were mainly deposited.The deposition of the upper colluvial cover(A1+B1)and the coarse fills of tlie underlying horizons were produced by a degradational phase due to the defore-station of the area in historical times.The undisturbed argillans of the A1+B1 horizons indicate thatthe clay illuviation is still active in the area.     

Diazinon Fate and Toxicity in the Tajan River (Iran) Ecosystem

Abstract This study surveyed the behavior of diazinon pesticide in the water column of the Tajan River and its potential effects on river biota. The Tajan River is located on the southern basin of the Caspian Sea in Iran and diazinon enters the river from rice fields almost every year between the months of June and October. The sampling plan of flowing water was plotted in a 3-week period on five sites along the river and also at the end of tributaries. Samples were collected seven times during a 6-month period; they were analyzed for diazinon residues and some physicochemical characteristics. Total diazinon concentration range was between 0.01 and 46.99?μg/L in sampling stations. The calibrated AQUATOX model was applied to simulate fate processes and ecotoxicity of diazinon in the Tajan River. The model demonstrated that the diazinon residues in the Tajan River reacted to three major degradation processes (microbial, hydrolysis, and photolysis) and sedimentation; however, the river discharge played the m...     

Strategic Orientation and Basic Exploration Thinking of the Western Development of China

1 Western development strategy is nationwide. The Western development strategy is initiated from the general goal, the overall arrangement and the general strategic deployment of the nation's development. The followings are included: (1) the initiative factors of the western development strategy are: a tremendous economic growth in the eastern and coastal area of China; an unprecedented development of the national abilities on investment and independent growth; the widening gap between the ea…     

Strategy on China's Security-oriented Disaster Reduction in the 21st Century

At the turn of the millenium,when we bid farewell to the2 0 th Century and welcome the2 1 stCentury,as scientists,we should pay more attention to the study of the scientific theory andmanagement thought on disaster reduction and take the responsibility to advise the Governmentand policy-makers with an attempt to create the knowledge and cultural atmosphere forpromoting the disaster reduction through science and technology in the2 1 st Century. In thebeginning of the new millenium,the living e…     

GEOLOGIA E PEDOSTRATIGRAFIA DELLA COLLINA DI CILIVERGHE(Brescia)

Geology and pedo-stratigraphy of the Ciliverghe hill(glacial deposits,pedogenesis,and loess sedi-mentation along the Alpine fringe during the Pleistocene).-Ciliverghe hill consists of Pleistocene continentaldeposits.The lowest units(CIL 1 and CIL 2).composed of till and related fluvioglacial deposits.representthe oldest moraine ridge of the Garda lake moraine system.These units are covered with angular unconfor-mity,by glacio-lacustrine marls(CIL 3),by fluviatile gravels supplied from a local source(CIL 4)and by flu-vio-glacial gravels(CIL 5)including Central-Alpine rocks.In the upper unit a rubefied,strongly weatheredpalaeosol is developed.At the top of the sequence there is a polygenetic cover of loess consisting of at leastthree distinct layers intercalated with pedogenetic horizons.The uppermost loess which includes mouste-rian artifacts dates back to the Late Pleistocene,Five glacial stages are therefore recorded in the Ciliverghesequence,probably spanning the whole glacial Pleistocene.The stratigraphical and morphological develop-ment of the Ciliverghc hill has been tectonicallv controlled due to the activity of buried tectonic structures.     

APPUNTI SULLA MORFOLOGIA DELLA GROTTA MASERA 2213 Lo-Co (Como)

Some remarks on the morphology of the cave 《Masera》 2213 Lo-Co (Como, Italy) The Masera cave is a temporary overflow spring situated on the eastern side of the western branch ofthe Como Lake. The cave hydrology has already been studied in a previous work (Cappa 1970). Only themorphology and the structure of the cave are considered in the present paper. It appears from the structural analysis that the cave develops mainly along the bedding-planes with adip N 5°E and with a lesser frequency at the junction of groups of joints. The general morphology of the ca-ve is rather uniform because it is a bedding-cave with a quadrangular cross-section. The morphology of de-tails, on the contrary, is very rich with different forms. Among these the most interesting are:— Bedding plane anastomoses and ceiling channels whose genesis is related to breakdown events. The chan-nels are very frequent and cross the ceiling of passages disappeaning into the rock wall.— Underground karren due to water during floods.— Scallops showing the existence of fast flowing water.— Glacial and alluvial deposits which partially filled the cave for long times.— Ripple-marks and other beach features due to flood waters.— Different kinds of dendritic surge marks and erosional rills.— Thin deposits of manganese on pebbles and formations. Sometimes these films are partially eroded. From the morpho-structural analysis some information on the speleogenesis and the recent evolutionof the cave during the Quaternary is obtained. According to the results reported in this paper the Masera cave(m 329 above sea level) appears to be already existing before the occurrence of the Quaternary glaciations.The glaciations had a minor influence on the cave morphology.     

BIOLOGIA RIPRODUTTIVA DI UNA POPOLAZIONE DI STORNO Sturnus vulgaris NIDIFICANTE IN UNA《COLOMBAIA》 DELLA LOMBARDIA

Vengono presemati i risuhati in una ricerca condoua nel 1991 sulla biologia riproduttivadi una popolazione di Sturns vulgaris nidificante nella 《colombaia》 di una cascina della pianura lombar-da. L'inizio della costruzione dei nidi è compreso tra il 15 matzo e il 2 aprile. I nidi sono stall terminatiin tin tempo medio di 4,6 giorni (2-9), nel 20,40% delle 338 cavità disponibili. Tra l'ultimazione del nidoe l'inizio delle deposizioni trascorrono in media 2,6 giorni (0-10). L'inizio delle 《prime》 deposizioni ècompreso tra il 22 marzo (data precoce a livello europeo) e il 9 aprile; quello delle 《intermedie》 trail 24 aprile e I'll gingno; quello delle 《seconde》 trail 29 aprile e il 16 giugno. La dimensionc mediadelle covate è 5,4 nova (3-8). Le uova inisnrano in media nun 29,5×21,2 e pesano g 6,9 (n= 148). Ladurata media dell'incubazione è. 12,2 giorni (11-15), quella dell'allevamento dei pnlli di 15,5 (13-22),con una differenza significativa tra le I covate (19,1) e le successive (14,9). Il numero medio di pulliper covata alla schiusa è 4,5 (1-7); quello dei pulli per nidiata all'involo di 3,3 (1-6). Il lasso di schiusaè del 71,2%, quello d'involo del 47.5%; in entrambi i cast i valori più elevati si collocano in corrisponden-za delle covate di 6 nova. II snccesso riprodnttivo è del 33,8%, con una media di 1,9 pulli per covatae una differenza significativa tra le I covate (0,8) e le successive (intermedie= 2,4; II = 3). I risuhati evi-denziano la notevole influenza svoha dalle condizioni meteorologiche sull'andamento della nidificazionee soprattutto sul successo riproduttivo. Breeding Biology of Starling in a Dovecote of the Lombard Plain. Results are given concer-ning a research carried out in 1991 on the reproductive biology of a population of Sturnus vulgarisbreeding in a farm dovecote in the central Po Plain. Nest building began between 15~(th) March and 2~(th)April. Nests were completed within an average period of 4.6 days (2-9) in 20.4% of the 338 availablecavities. An average period of 2.6 days (0-10) elapsed from nest completion to the beginning of egglaying. The 《first》 clutches started betweed 22 March (an early data among European records) and 9April: the beginning of the 《intermediate》 clutches was between 24 April and 11 June; 《second》 clutchesstarted between 29 April and 16 June. The average chutch size was 5,4 eggs (3-8). The average egg sizewas 29.5×21.2 mm, with an average weight of 6.9 grams (n= 148). The average incubation period was12.2 day (11-15), the average nestling feeding period took 15.5 (13-22) days, with a significant differencebetween first clutches (19.1) and the following one (14.9). The mean number of nestlings per clutchat hatching was 4.5 (1-7); the mean number of fledgling youngs per clutch was 3.3 (1-6). The hatchingrate mean number of fledgling youngs per clutch was 3.3 (1-6). The hatching rate mean number offledgling youngs per clutch was 3.3. (1-6). The hatching rate was 71.2% and fledging rate 47.5%; inboth cases the highest values correspond to the clutches of 6 eggs. The average breeding success was33,8%, with 1.9 youngs per clutch and a significant difference between first clutches (0.8) and the follo-wing ones (intermediate clutches-2.4; second ones=3). The results show the remarkable influence ofweather conditions upon breeding progress and, chiefly, upon breeding success.     

21st Century Strategies for Protected Areas in East Asia ——Briefs of the 3rd Conference on Conservative Land in East Asia

The author had the opportunity to attend the 3rd Conference on the Conservative L and in EastAsia in Seoul,Korea in September1 999,whose theme was " 2 1 st Century Strategies for ProtectedAreas in East Asia" .As the majority of protected areas in China is located in mountain areas,since the government announced prohibition of any commercial wood cutting,all mountains havebecome sort of protected areas in a certain degree.The following is a brief introduction on themajor issues discussed …     

CONTRIBUTO ALLA CONOSCENZA DEI COLEOTTERI IDROADEFAGI DELLE LANCHE DEL BASSO CORSO DEL FIUME OGLIO(Coleoptera:Haliplidae,Gyrinidae,Dytiscidae)

The Autor reports the resnlts of a research carried out between 1980 and 1986 on the Coleop-tera Hydradephaga of the oxbow lakes along the lower course of the river Oglio.15 oxbow lakes,a peat bogand some minor aqnatic environments were studied;55 species were found,among which some of high fau-nistic and zoogeographic significance such as Hygrotus decoratus(Gyll.),Hydroporus dorsalis(F.),Hydropo-rus springeri G.Müller,Agabus undulatus(Schr.),Ilybius subaeneus Er.,Nartus grapei(Gyll.)and Dytiscusmutinensis Peder,2 different biocenoses were identified,one of them typical of oxbow lakes with waterinflow and the other typical of oxbow lakes without water inflow.The fauna of the oxbow lakes along thecourse of the Oglio was compared with the faunas of similar enviromnents of the Po plain,with which itshows a high degree of similarity.From a zoogeographical viewpoint,41 species(74,5% of total)have avery wide distribution;of the remaining 14,10(18,2%)have a european distribution and only 4(7,2%)amediterranean distribution.This is therefore a continental type fauna,similar to the faunas of comparableenvironments in central Europe.     

Prospects of Biological Resources in Mitigating Agricultural Disasters

1 Meteorological and biological disasters are major constraints to agriculturaldevelopment.1 .1 Meteorological disasters represented by flood and drought and the most serious threat toagricultural production.According to a survey,the average annual droughty farmland for the period 1 95 1～ 1 988wasapproximately 2× 1 0 7hm2 ;the total loss of grain caused by drought disaster only has amountedto1 .5 32 1× 1 0 11kg in the last30 years,accounting for5 0 % of the national total.Meanwhile,China is…     

Flood Disaster Reduction in China's Major Cereal Production Areas

1The Agricultural Resources and Yielding Status of the Major Cereal ProductionAreasNEC,RBHHH and ML RYR are the three major areas for agricultural and cereal production inChina and the national bases for growing commodity grain with first priority.Especially,theThree-River Plain and Songhuajiang-Nenjiang Plain in NEC,the alluvial plain of the Huanghe,Haihe and Huaihe rivers in RBHHH and the plain of two rivers (Hanshui and Huaihe) and threelakes (Poyang,Dongting and Taihu) in …     

ANFIBI E RETTILI DEL PARCO REGIONALE DEI COLLI DI BERGAMO

In questo lavoro viene studiata l'erpetofauna del Parco Regionale dei Colli di Bergamo,che risulta composta da 10 specie di Anfibi e 9 di Rettili. Le specie presenti sono quelle the si potrebberorilevare in zone analoghe; tra queste spiccano Bombina variegata, ormai tara in Lombardia, e Ranalatastei. L'Autore ha analizzato le categorie corologiche notando una certa preponderanza delle specieEuropee (68%), su quelle Eurocentroasiatiche (22%) e su quelle italiche (10%). Lo studio delle microco-muuità ha messo in evidenza 3 modelli fondamentali: la m. del bosco submediterraneo (con prevalenzadi Rettili), la m. degli ambienti umidi (con prevalenza di Anfibi) e la m. dei boschi umidi (specie tipicaSalamandra salamandra). Amphibians and reptiles of the Parco Regionale dei Colli di Bergamo. This article consi-ders the herpetofauna of the Parco Regionale dei Colli di Bergamo that is composed of ten speciesof Amphibians and nine of Reptiles. The species are those one would expect to find in a similar landsca-pe. Among these is relevant to mention Bombina variegata, now rare in Lombardy, and Rana latastei.The Author analyzes the corological categories noting a certain predominance of the European species(68%) on the Eurocentroasiatic (22%) and the Italic (10%) ones. The study of the microcommunitieshas evidenced three fundamental models: the m. of the submediterranean wood (with prevalence of Repti-les), the m. of the umid environments (with prevalence of Amphibians) and the m. of the damp woods(with the typical species Salamandra salamandra).