The number of confirmed deaths from Friday's landslide in
Guizhou Province rose to 35 on Monday evening. Nine villagers are
still missing.
The disaster struck Zuojiaying Village at 3:00 AM Friday. The
village is located in Nayong County, in southwestern China, just
over 100 kilometers west of the provincial capital of Guiyang.
There was slim hope anyone else would be brought out alive from
the rubble, where the houses have been buried in soil and rocks for
four days, said Guo Qiang, an official with the local geological
authority.
Boulders weighing as much as 100 tons crashed down the
mountainside, destroying all 19 houses in the village.
Recovery work is continuing but it is becoming more difficult to
clear the site with the increasing accumulation of rocks and
soil.
Thirteen people who were injured are now in stable condition.
The local government is covering their medical expenses.
Guo stated that plans have been drafted to rebuild the victims'
homes, while experts from the local department of land and
resources and village representatives are already looking for a new
site.
However, Nayong County chief Guan Xiaonong said that more the
victims might have to spend the next three months -- the harshest
season of the year -- living in tents before site receives final
approval for construction.
More than 100 people were evacuated from the nearby area and
about 200 tents have been set up. Emergency supplies, including
clothing, rice, cash and medicine have also been distributed.
Every affected family is entitled to 60 kilograms of rice and
other supplies.
The provincial civil affairs authority has also allocated 1
million yuan (US$120,000) in emergency funds, said Guo.
Organizations around the country have made relief donations, but
only 2 million yuan (US$241,800) has been collected so far. Zhou
Peng, the deputy magistrate of the county, said that an estimated 8
million yuan (US$967,000) will be needed to rebuild the
village.
Many of the local villagers have indicated that they believe the
landslide was caused by coal mines in the area, particularly two
located at the foot of the mountain. Experts at the site said that
it was more likely a natural geological event resulting from the
mountain's brittle limestone structure.
However, mining companies have been targeted for damaging the
environment in a nationwide campaign that began in early May.
Officials from the State Environmental Protection Administration
(SEPA), the Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR) and the State
Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) vowed on Monday to crack down
even more severely on mines that violate environmental policies and
regulations.
More than 52,400 mining companies have been inspected,
particularly in regions where the number of public complaints has
been growing, according to Xiong Yuehui, of the environment
supervision and inspection bureau at SAWS.
So far, some 16,400 mines have been ordered to suspend or
permanently shut down production.
Inspectors have found that local governments and mining
companies in some regions simply ignore environmental protection.
Xiong said many companies are not even aware that there are
regulations and policies they are required to follow.
There is no uniform supervision and management system over the
mining areas and neither governments nor companies are held
responsible for protecting and restoring the local ecosystem, he
said.
A survey of 96,000 companies in 24 provinces shows that only 34
percent have undergone environmental impact assessments.
The inspection and enforcement system is also weak, according to
Xiong, with manpower, funds, supervision and management in remote
mining areas far from sufficient.
Laws, regulations and enforcement systems will all be improved,
said Xiong. The watchdog authorities plan to suggest that the State
Council enact a code specifically concerning the protection of
mining area environments.
The authorities intend to submit a report on the campaign in the
near future. They said it will be made clear that local governments
have first-line responsibility for managing the environment.
They also intend to implement a multisource investing system so
that national, local and non-governmental funds are used.
(China Daily December 7, 2004)