Almaty authorities to improve seismic safety in collaboration with China

The city of Almaty is set to launch close cooperation with China in the field of seismic safety, as Kazakhstan’s National Scientific Center for Seismological Observations and Research and China Earthquake Administration’s Institute of Geophysics have agreed to collaborate. The agreement was signed during an official visit by Almaty Mayor Yerbolat Dossayev to China.

According to the press service of the Almaty city administration, Dossayev visited the China Earthquake Administration (CEA) to explore ways to improve the seismic safety of Almaty.

«The city is located in a seismic zone, which is why ensuring safety is one of the key tasks for its further development,» the press service said.

Almaty authorities also noted that the agreement between the two earthquake monitoring agencies will provide for joint observations of seismic activity and the integration of earthquake early-warning systems.

«This will streamline the real-time data exchange between Kazakhstani and Chinese specialists,» the statement read.

Currently, there are 28 earthquake early warning stations in Almaty. To improve the system, authorities plan to launch an additional 70 stations, with 30 expected to be commissioned by the end of this year.

In early February, Almaty residents felt an earthquake that occurred in neighboring China. The epicenter of the quake was one kilometer deep, with a magnitude of 3.8.