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So much for openness: Officials in flood stricken Hunan warned against contact with foreign journalists.
posted Friday, 3 June 2005
Despite claims of increased transparency in the wake of SARS, and the promise to open up China to the foreign press in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games, recent events in central China suggest that Beijing has chosen to remain committed to its old routine regarding the provision of information on domestic issues
When devastating floods hit Hunan Province earlier this week, devastating several regions and cutting hundreds of people off from the outside world, officials soon arrived on the scene, not only to bring relief supplies, but also to order the people not to speak to foreign journalists.
Despite the warnings, some officials did speak to foreign journalists, though they voiced concern when they did so, because of the warnings that they received.
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"We fear talking about this [the floods] with the foreign media," Shen Guirong, director of the propaganda department in Xinshao, Hunan province, China |
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According to state media sources, at least 47 people arek nown to have died. Another 50 people were listed as missing by the official sources. Reports also stated that approximately 100,000 people had to be relocation after their homes became inundated.
Many of the casualties are believed to have occurred when flash flood waters hit poorly constructed houses in Xinshao and Shaodong country, causing the houses to collapse. Because the floods came during the night, many of the damaged buildings were occupied, and their residents were sleeping.
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"Around 3,500 buildings collapsed in this county [Xinshao] alone" Shen Guirong, Xinshao country, Hunan province, China |
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The floods also destroyed a significant portion of the local infrastructure, washing away pylons, roads and bridges.
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"Telecommunications, transportation and water supplies are not working. It will take time to restore them. Shen Guirong, Xinshao country, Hunan province, China |
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The warning against speaking to the foreign media comes soon after rumors began to circulate over that Beijing was atempting a partical cover up of a recent outbreak bird flu and after award winning journalist Didi Tatlow was detained after reporting on anti han violence in East China.
Sitting on Their Hands
While China suffers from recurring flooding each year, many local officials are extremely reluctant to invest in flood prevention or mitigation; opting to replace lost elements of infrastructure rather than to invest in the means to protect them, and to rebuild rather than to ensure that buildings can withstand moderate flooding, or that they are protected from flooding in some way.
To date, most flood prone areas in China have little or no means of flood prevention, and because of the poor quality of buildings and infrastructure, even comparatively minor flooding can cause extensive harm.
Basic flood prevention techniques, including the digging of Storm drains and the construction of water diversion channels, are almost unknown outside of China’s largest cities, and the over use of flat concrete, the compacting of semi urban ground, and the conversion of farm land to urban and industrial land often leader to avoidably high levels of storm water run-off.
Where flood prevention infrastructure does exist, it is often insufficient or is poorly maintained, as was demonstrated in Beijing during 2004; when the poor maintenance of storm water facilities lead to flash flooding in the center of the Chinese capital.
Unable to drain away, storm water run-off in some parts of Beijing rose to nearly one meter in height.
Much of the flooding in Beijing was due to drains becoming blocked with refuse and other debris, and could have been avoided by basic maintenance, and an education campaign warning people not to use the city's gutters and drainage systems to dispose of household refuse.
Other flood prone parts of the world, including Coastal America, Hong Kong and neighboring Japan, invest heavily in flood prevention and education, and have far higher infrastructure standards.
High construction and mitigation levels are considered doubly necessary in Hong Kong and Japan as both regions are not only support high populations living in areas that are vulnerable to flooding from monsoon rains and mountain runoff, but are also prone to storm strikes that bringing flood water and strong winds simultaneously.
Flood prevention measures in Hong Kong and Japan save many lives each year, and preserve vital infrastructure elements. Higher building and mitigation standards also mean that when flooding occours it does less damage and is less likely to lead property damage and the need to replace buildings.
View Comments/Add a Comment (2)
1. Infrastructure left...
Thursday, 7 June 2007 3:07 am :: http://slouchingtowardserfdom.blogspot.c
When people talk about infrastructure, they mostly refer to tangible things
like bridges and buildings that you can touch with your hands. But the
institutional infrastructure that China has repeatedly demonstrated itself
to lack is much more subtle. Talking to journalists and at an even more
basic level acknowledging past failures in order to move past them is not
completely accepted anywhere in the world. But government officials
shouldn't be able to quietly cover up their failings with gag orders.
2. ACB left...
Saturday, 9 June 2007 3:47 am
The Chinese government does with abuses of press freedom what vested
interests in other countries do with law suits and "other" kinds of
pressure.