MACAO - The government of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) has published the final report assessing the overall impact of last year's Typhoon Hato and offering suggestions for optimizing its mechanism for managing emergencies, the SAR's government Information Bureau said here on Thursday.Typhoon Hato struck Macao on Aug 23 last year, killing 10 people and injuring over 240 others, as well as resulting in heavy economic losses.The report offers practical advice on measures appropriate to Macao in relation to prevention or mitigation of disasters, post-disaster relief measures, and the SAR's response mechanism for any public emergency.The Commission for Reviewing and Monitoring the Improvements of the Response Mechanism to Major Disasters commissioned respectively the Institute for Public Safety Research at Tsinghua University, the North China University of Technology, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs' National Disaster Reduction Center of China to draw up the report.The four research themes in the final report offer suggestions for complementary effort in areas of meteorology, electricity supply, flood control measures at the inner harbor, and work relating to the fire services.The Information Bureau said the SAR government is stepping up effort to advance Macao's overall capabilities for disaster prevention and mitigation, including amendment to the Civil Protection Law, the formulation of a 10-year plan for disaster prevention and mitigation (2019-2028), and the establishment of a new emergency command system.The government will also strive to initiate an insurance system covering losses from major disasters, an overall emergency response plan, the construction of major fundamental infrastructure, and promotion of safety awareness of the public. rubber wristbands custom cheapsilicone wristbands24 hour braceletscustom rubber bands
Yuan Longping (center), a hybrid rice expert, checks a new strain of hybrid rice at a pilot field in Handan, Hebei province, on Oct 15, 2017. [Photo/VCG] Exacting standards applied to fields in hopes of boosting food supply A new world record for a single crop of rice was set in North China's Hebei province this year by a hybrid strain that delivered an annual yield of 17.2 metric tons of rice per hectare of farmland. The high-yield hybrid rice, called Xiangliangyou 900, was developed by a team led by Yuan Longping, who developed the world's first hybrid strain in the 1970s. Under a three-year test, the rice was planted on a 6.8-hectare field in Guangfu town, Handan. This year's yield was the highest to date, according to Hebei Guigu Fertilizer Co, which cooperates with Yuan's team in managing the field. This is the highest yield in the world, and much higher than the world average, Yuan said on Sunday when this year's yield was estimated. The global average is about 10 metric tons per hectare, according to Yan Hongtao, general manager of Hebei Guigu. Yan said the high-yield strain needs to be carefully cultivated, from planting seedlings to transplanting, fertilizing and pest control. Each step is managed precisely, Yan said. The space between two rows of rice seedlings must be 45 centimeters or 35 centimeters to ensure their healthy growth. He added that organic silicon fertilizers used during the growth phase can overcome contamination from soil and improve soil conditions, allowing the rice to grow smoothly. The record-setting field is just one of the testing grounds in China for Yuan's hybrid strains of rice. His goal is to expand the scale of high-yield rice production. Overall, the team has managed 42 test fields in 16 provincial regions across the country, including Yunnan, Shaanxi, Guangdong, Chongqing and Hunan. Hybrid rice, sometimes called super rice, is produced by crossbreeding different varieties. Yuan has set three world records in hybrid rice yield - in 1999, 2005 and 2011, according to Xinhua News Agency. Contact the writers at [email protected]
