Around 15,000 farmers who live in areas that are susceptible to geological hazards are set to be relocated.

The relocations will be carried out by the local authorities during the city's third round of such population movements.

The multi-phased relocations, which began in 2003, saw the movement of more than 30,000 people during the first stage - from mountainous areas to safer places.

The second round began in 2008 and aimed to move an additional 20,000 people before 2012. That stage is almost 90 percent complete.

Zhang Jianguo, director of the land environment section at the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Land and Resources, said phase three will target 14,600 people in 4,775 households who are at risk of being swept away in geological hazards such as mudslides.

Wang Jianzhong, a committee member with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Rural Affairs, said many of those remaining proved to be difficult to relocate in the past.

"We were not able to cover all of them during the second round of relocations because we were confined by both resources from the local government and the farmers' personal decisions," Wang said.

He explained that many farmers, especially older ones, said they would rather stay where their families had lived for generations, despite the dangers.

But Wang said the group of holdouts has become smaller, especially in light of several serious natural disasters nationwide this year.

"We are planning to extend the project to a third round in 2012," said Wang. "By then, all of the 14,600 might be relocated within five years."

Zhang said more than 500 places in the Beijing area are at risk of geological hazards. The list includes 200 villages and 50 scenic spots within seven mountainous districts.

"But not all of them are in huge danger," he said. "We have rated geological hazard-prone areas into three categories, with each having either a high, medium or low rating."

An example is the famous scenic spot of Yunmeng Mountain, which is located between Miyun and Huairou districts.

It is protected by seven ditches built to collect water and falling rocks. But, while the site is relatively well protected, nearby villages are at a higher risk of geological hazards, reports Beijing Science and Technology News. In 1969, a mudslide hit Yunmeng Mountain, claiming 159 lives.

"So, we have to deal with the problems in order of precedence," Zhang said. "And villages at a higher risk of geological hazards are our priorities for relocation."

However, simply moving farmers out of the mountainous areas is not the end of the story. Many have problems finding a job after they move because farming is all they know.

"Since 2005, we have been trying to relocate them near their fields or woods," said Wang. "We managed to find most of them places in their own villages, or at least in the nearest town."

For those who insist on staying put or who cannot be relocated, measures are being taken to try to ensure their safety.

"Each official in the towns and villages is in charge of several households and makes sure people are evacuated safely as soon as rainfall reaches 50 mm per hour, " said Wang.

"Evacuation routes and temporary sanctuaries for all villages in danger have been set up," said Zhang.