Many lessons learnt from Wenchuan quake

Editor's note: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the 8.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated Wenchuan and other areas in Sichuan province on May 12, 2008. Among other things, the Wenchuan earthquake taught China to take more precautionary measures to deal with natural disasters. In fact, the country has made remarkable progress in this regard over the past decade. Three experts share their views with China Daily's Yao Yuxin on the earthquake and its aftermath. Excerpts follow:

Advance quake warning system can save lives

Early warning of an earthquake can save many lives and prevent many secondary disasters. The warning system taken by the Insitute of Care-Life has been coworking with other agencies across China, covering 2.2 million square kilometers, the largest expanse in the world, and covers schools, communities, nuclear power plants and chemical factories.

The EEWS has already become a part of the local residents' daily life for almost 10 years. With the help of local broadcasting agencies, it has issued earthquake warnings about 40 times, including that for the 7.0-magnitude Lushan earthquake in Sichuan province in 2013 that helped to significantly reduce the number of casualties. Local residents can use "Internet Plus" to download an app for earthquake warning on their mobile phones to get firsthand information and early warning against quakes.

Besides, as the third country－after Mexico and Japan－to establish an EEWS, China can use the experience to help the countries along the Belt and Road to issue early warning for quakes. Actually, an EEWS has been already installed in Nepal, which covers one-third of the country's territory and half of its population.

Wang Tun, director of the Institute of Care-Life in Chengdu, Sichuan province