Shanghai to hold World Cities Day event

A celebration to mark World Cities Day will be held in Shanghai from Oct 30 to Nov 1, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said.

In conjunction with the Shanghai municipal government and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, the ministry will convene the Second SDG Cities Global Conference as both an online and live event.

It will include various forums and displays, and will discuss issues surrounding the sustainable development of cities and cooperation on the Global Development Initiative, the ministry said.

The theme for this year's World Cities Day, an international day initiated by China and first celebrated in 2014, is "Act Local, Go Global".

The ministry also called for authorities in provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country to organize their own activities to mark the day, promote their accomplishments in advancing green and low-carbon urban development, and encourage residents to take part in urban development and governance.

Authorities ordered to act against swine fever

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said its general office has issued a notice asking authorities to enhance efforts to control African swine fever and other major swine-related diseases this autumn and winter.

The notice requires authorities to pay special attention to prevention and control as gradually falling temperatures heighten the risk of the spread of the diseases.

Authorities should make full efforts to vaccinate pigs, and continue strict monitoring, sterilization and quarantine measures to contain African swine fever. Companies and individuals in related businesses are also required to follow laws, regulations and technical norms, upgrade equipment and improve management to guard against infections.

Authorities should also train companies and individuals, including veterinarians at the grassroots level, to help them master disease-prevention skills.

The notice also tasked authorities with curbing the spread of other livestock and poultry diseases, such as brucellosis and the highly pathogenic avian flu.

New list identifies key drinking water sources

The Ministry of Water Resources has issued a list classifying more than 300 water sources in 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities along the Yangtze River as important drinking sources, ordering local water resource authorities to properly protect them.

The ministry requires authorities to strictly manage the use of the sources, carry out annual security assessments, continue to improve monitoring and efforts to prevent contamination, and promote the creation of backup or emergency water sources for cities.

Guideline seeks better maritime rescue abilities

The Ministry of Transport and 22 other government departments have released a guideline for authorities and oil, gas and shipping companies to enhance national maritime rescue capacities.

The guideline tasked authorities with better coordination of maritime rescue efforts, improving rules and creating better emergency response plans.

It has also mandated strengthened efforts to fend off major security risks in the shipping, construction, tourism, sports, fishing and resource development sectors, and more accurate forecasting and monitoring of weather and natural disasters.

The guideline also called on parties to improve their search and rescue capacity at sea and their ability to tackle oil spills. They should also improve the ability to deal with emergencies on ships transporting hazardous chemicals, as well as firefighting measures at sea.