China has been busy with search and rescue efforts in the Zhouqu (舟曲）, Gansu （甘肃）province after a major mudslide hit the area on August 8th, 2010. This is China’s deadliest mudslide in decades.
Rescue Efforts in Zhouqu
China has been devoting rescue teams, disaster relief supplies and nationwide attention to Zhouqu, Gansu province, northwest of China, since the mudslide occurred. It is believed that the devastating mudslide was triggered by torrential rain. Many efforts have been done to locate and save victims in Zhouqu. The Gansu government provided 8,000 RMB in aid for every each victim’s family. By August 15, the county has received over 106 million RMB to its donation fund and rescue supplies worth over 20 million RMB.
A major mudslide occurs in Zhouqu, China; rescue efforts are under way to locate missing victims. (Source: www.news.cn)
Death Toll Rises
According to Xinhua News Agency, the number of deaths has hit 1,254, with 490 missing and 2,316 saved by August 16. Unfortunately, the Gansu Meteorological Bureau is forecasting that torrential rain will continue to hit Zhouqu in the following weeks. In some regions, the daily rainfall might reach 2 to 3 inches, which has already exceeded the level of torrential rain according to China’s rainfall standard. There is fear that the continued rain fall will bring about more landslides and flooding to the region resulting in more deaths and impede rescue efforts.
Natural or Man-made Disaster
Xu Shaoshi (徐绍史), minister of Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR) pointed out on August 9 that the mudslide is due to natural causes. He stated that Zhouqu is located in a geological-hazard-prone area. He also stated that the 2008 Wenchuan (汶川) earthquake in Sichuan and draught in the first half of 2010 loosened the mountain.
Despite official explanation of possible natural causes of the calamity from MLR, Geologist Fan Xiao said during his interview with the Voice of America that people cannot ignore human factors that may have sped up the natural disaster.
According to Xiao’s statistics, excessive deforestation and overgrazing during the 1950s and 2000s accelerated soil erosion in Zhouqu. Several areas were converted into arable lands and cities further weakening the surrounding land.
Lack of proper urban planning against predictable disasters in the area is another human factor to be blamed for; the local government did not have any emergency plans. As Xiao said, even if a natural disaster did occur, people could have been evacuated sooner.
National Mourning
On August 15, 2010, the Chinese government organized a national mourning ceremony for the victims of the Zhouqu mudslide. All entertainment within the country stopped for that day and overseas Chinese embassies lowered their flags to half-mast.
It has been the second time that the nation performed a national mourning for a natural disaster. The first one happened in China after the Wenchuan (汶川) earthquake in 2008.
However, some people criticized and worried that the mourning might become formalism instead of taking an effect of educating the public and honoring the deceased. Excessive mourning and mere formality, as one netizen commented on Xiaonei.com (the most popular student online network in China), is disrespectful to those who died in the disasters and their families.
Sources
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news.xinhuanet.com
gsma.gov.cn
sxsqxj.gov.cn
news.qq.com
blog.renren.com
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