East China's Fujian Province is building a meteorological disaster control system to serve Fujian and Taiwan, a senior meteorological official announced on Tuesday.

The disaster control system would cover Fujian and the Taiwan Strait, said Yang Weisheng, head of the provincial meteorological bureau.

The project would cost 190 million yuan (US$24.1 million) and is scheduled for completion in 2008.

Yang said Fujian was subject to severe natural disasters, particularly typhoons, rainstorms, droughts and other meteorological disasters.

The province had improved its onshore weather monitoring services, but its monitoring, analysis and forecast of marine climates remained poor. Improved sea climate monitoring would be conducive to the development of harbors and fisheries and the whole marine economy, Yang said.

The new disaster control system would include a sea climate information center, 41 observation stations, including coastal and offshore atmospheric environment exploration mechanisms, and a telecommunications system for data transmission. A weather forecast and warning system and technical equipment guarantee mechanism would also be built.

The disaster control system would improve forecasting of typhoons. "The system will provide meteorological services for Taiwan Province," Yang said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2006)