China's Hebei speeds up quakeproofing of houses

SHIJIAZHUANG - North China's Hebei province has expanded a rural house reconstruction project for improving the quakeproof and energy-saving properties of buildings in quake-prone areas.

The provincial bureau of finance said a total of 485 million yuan ($70 million) in central government and provincial-level funding has been appropriated so far this year for the home renovation for 36,600 rural households.

The bureau said the province has expanded financial support for the seismic renovation of rural houses to nine cities including Tangshan, Langfang and Handan.

A 5.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Tangshan on July 12. Strong tremors were felt in the nearby regions including Beijing. No casualties were reported, though some old houses saw cracks appear. The province launched a level-III emergency response, the second-lowest in China's four-tier emergency response system.

The Hebei provincial bureau of finance said the provincial government has stuck to an open and just principle in allocating funding for the renovation. After residents submit their applications for funding, county-level housing and urban-rural development departments organize technical personnel to provide appraisals of the houses. The departments provide reconstruction plans and supervise the renovation.

Renovation subsidies can reach up to 15,000 yuan per household, depending on the earthquake risk of the locality.