World-China Forum

School building standards at Wenchuan earthquake

For those anxious to get rid of the haunting suspicions and enquiries surrounding the school buildings flattened by the Wenchuan earthquake, there might be good news. A joint survey by three of the country's top engineering schools did not single out building quality as the main cause for the collapse of structures. Poor construction alone would not have resulted in a destruction of such magnitude, we are now told, as the causes were multiple.

However, from the rather ambiguously worded conclusion we have heard so far, deficiency of quality cannot be denied in many schools built in the past two decades. When standards were cited in discussions about school buildings, it was claimed that budgetary constraints had compelled local authorities to settle for lower standards. To what extent was that true? Are the suspicions of corruption entirely groundless? These questions need to be answered.

Some local authorities may prefer a categorical negative answer to any such speculative enquiry. That may offer the officials some respite, but the questions will keep lingering. And, as long as the questions remain in the public mind, the local authorities cannot expect to be relieved of the responsibility to answer these disturbing questions.

For the sake of their own credibility, the authorities should be more responsive in addressing public concerns. They have nothing to fear as long as they had conformed to standards and procedure at every stage of construction. That said, there is no reason to resist a closer look at the quality problems that may have reduced the school buildings to rubble. (Editorial, China Daily)

China quake: From rubble, civil society builds

The Chinese government has long been suspicious of NGOs, especially foreign ones, because of the support some lent to the overthrow of governments in former Yugoslavia, Ukraine, and Georgia.The earthquake's aftermath, however, has shown local authorities how useful NGOs can be. "When the [People's Liberation Army] and volunteers left, the government recognized the necessity of NGOs, which can respond to needs rapidly, raise funds, and come up with plans," says Han. More than 100 groups, Chinese and foreign, are now building houses, counseling survivors, restoring sanitation systems, and undertaking a thousand other tasks that need doing. "The government welcomes that kind of help because it has money and materials but lacks people," says Tian Jun, founder of the 5/12 NGO coordination platform in Chengdu. (Peter Ford, Christian Science Monitor)

China quake: one year on, still rebuilding

Depending on the efficiency of their local government, their location, and their personal circumstances, they could still be cramped into an emergency tent protected by a makeshift shell of thin plywood. They could be making do in a barracks-like temporary housing camp, as well over one million residents are currently doing. Or they could be enjoying the comforts of a brand new bungalow with a biogas-fueled stove.  In this farming village overlooking the Du Ba river, Dong is one of several residents rebuilding his home with the help of a 19,000 RMB ($2,794) grant from the government, a 50,000 RMB ($7,350) low-interest bank loan, and another 50,000 RMB ($7,350) in loans from relatives, in what appears to be a typical pattern of funding across the quake zone. (Peter Ford, Christian Science Monitor)