On the occasion of the 16th National Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day, the Department of Geological Exploration Management of the Ministry of Natural Resources released the Top Ten Typical Cases of Successful Geological Hazard Avoidance for 2023, and simultaneously promoted 20 selected cases. This initiative aims to further enhance public awareness of geological hazard risks and improve disaster prevention and reduction capabilities.
　　The ten typical cases are as follows: the collapse avoidance in Maxie Village on February 24 in Lintong, Shaanxi; the debris flow avoidance in Yusanping on June 26 in Luding, Sichuan; the landslide avoidance in Dongping Society on July 18 in Weiyuan, Gansu; the debris flow avoidance in Xindianzi Group on July 26 in Shuicheng, Guizhou; the debris flow avoidance in Hesong Villager Group on July 28 in Yingjiang, Yunnan; the debris flow avoidance in Segong Gully on August 28 in Milin, Tibet; the group geological hazard avoidance in Fengning Village on September 11 in Bobai, Guangxi; the landslide avoidance at the exit of Gaoyuan Tunnel on September 20 in Lichuan, Hubei; the ground subsidence avoidance in Maogongtang Group on October 6 in Ningxiang, Hunan; and the landslide avoidance in Duiwoziping on October 9 in Wushan, Chongqing.
　　In 2023, natural resource authorities at all levels made solid progress in strengthening the construction of the geological hazard prevention and control system. The number of deaths and missing persons caused by geological hazards, as well as the direct economic losses, remained at low levels, significantly lower than the average values from 2016 to 2022. Positive results have been achieved in geological hazard prevention and control efforts.
　　To consolidate and enhance the capacity and effectiveness of grassroots disaster prevention and mitigation efforts, the Department of Geological Exploration Management of the Ministry of Natural Resources has organized the China Association for Geological Disaster Prevention and Ecological Restoration, the Technical Guidance Center for Geological Disaster Prevention of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Publicity and Education Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the China Natural Resources News Agency, the China Mining News Agency, and other relevant entities. Through a series of steps—including recommendations, solicitation, screening, preliminary selection, online voting, and expert evaluation—20 outstanding cases were selected from nearly 100 submissions received from natural resource authorities across all provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) nationwide. From these 20 selected cases, the top ten exemplary cases were further identified.
　　It is reported that this case-selection initiative has received a positive response from relevant provinces (autonomous regions, and municipalities) as well as grassroots geological hazard prevention and control workers. Over 57,000 netizens participated in the online selection process. The selection process took into account a variety of factors, including the accuracy of monitoring, analysis, and early warning; the timeliness of response actions and evacuation measures; the severity of the hazards and their triggering factors; and the typicality of the disaster type. This approach aims to help localities learn from these cases and identify areas for improvement by comparing their own practices against the selected examples.