Today, the Municipal Emergency Management Bureau, in conjunction with the housing and urban-rural construction department, launched the upgrading and renovation project for urban underground bunkers and disaster prevention and shelter facilities. The first batch covers 3 civil air defense projects in the old urban area and emergency bunkers in newly-built residential areas, which are expected to be put into use by the end of the year.

According to the introduction, the upgraded bunkers will be renovated in accordance with the new disaster prevention standards, with additional emergency water supply, ventilation and material reserve systems, as well as dual early warning devices for earthquakes and fires. They can accommodate temporary shelter for residents within a 2-kilometer radius around them. Meanwhile, the project will improve the above-ground shelter sign system simultaneously and conduct bunker use training in linkage with communities.

Underground bunkers are a key part of the urban emergency response system,  a person in charge of the Municipal Emergency Management Bureau stated. In the follow-up, efforts will be made to gradually promote full coverage of bunkers in densely populated areas such as schools and business districts, establish a long-term management mechanism of "standby in peacetime and activation in disaster", and further enhance the city s ability to resist disaster risks. At present, the main structure construction of the first batch of bunker renovation has entered the implementation stage.