China and Japan launched technological cooperation to control and prevent landslides and debris flows, the worst geographic hazards threatening the two countries.

Their main priority is to offer week-long courses to Chinese erosion-control officials and technicians, starting from Tuesday.

Two experts from the Japan International Cooperation Agency will give lectures for some 60 Chinese personnel on the counter-measures used by Japan to control sediment-related disasters and analyze case studies of such geographic hazards.

Chinese and Japanese experts will also hold a seminar on the preventive technologies of landslide and slope failure to develop a warning system to monitor landslides and mudslides along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River - a region plagued with geographical disasters.

According to a survey by the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee, there are some 150,000 landslide black spots and some 10,000 valleys prone to debris flow in more than 100,000 square kilometers of the areas upstream of the Yangtze River, with a territory of more than 1 million square kilometers.

In 1990 alone, more than 16,000 landslides and 4,000 mudflows were reported in the areas upstream of the Jialing River, a tributary of the Yangtze, the reservoir areas of the Three Gorges Project, the world's largest hydropower and water-control project, and areas downstream of the Jinsha River.

Over the past five decades, such geographic hazards have worsened with ever-increasing human activities, including damaging forests for reclamation, farming on slopes, unreasonably mining, road building and many other construction projects.

In the past decade, heavy direct economic losses were caused by landslides, slope failures and debris flows, with human casualties reaching the thousands upstream of the Yangtze.

"Such geographic hazards have become one of the worst factors affecting the region's economic development and social stability," Hu Jiajun, a water official warned. "It is time for China to mitigate such damages through adopting advanced technologies."

The training program is the first of its kind since last year's official launch of the Sino-Japanese training scheme during the 2000-05 period.

About 40 personnel training courses are to be offered by Japanese experts for some 2,000 Chinese professionals.

(China Daily 10/18/2001)