 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
All schools in China to be inspected for quake-resistance
Beijing (AFP) June 11, 2008 China has asked all schools to check the quake resistance of their buildings, an official said Wednesday, after thousands of children died in the Sichuan earthquake. The schools will have to be thoroughly checked by September 1, an official at China's Ministry of Education said, particularly those with concrete and brick structures that were built before 2001. "To improve the quake-resistance ability of all schools, to eliminate hidden dangers, to guarantee the safety of teachers and students, we have decided that every school in the country must go through a thorough check," the ministry said in a statement on its website. All public buildings and facilities were to be inspected, the ministry said, including student dormitories, canteens, toilets, and bathrooms. Any problems encountered during the checks would be entered into a database, according to the ministry. Schools where problems were found would be reinforced, it said. The collapse of so many schools in the 8.0-magnitude earthquake that hit southwest China's Sichuan province on May 12 has caused outrage among grieving parents and the wider Chinese population. One of the most disturbing images of the quake, which killed 69,146 and left another 17,516 missing, has been of schools in towns destroyed in seconds while surrounding buildings remained standing. In one school alone in Mianyang city, more than 1,300 children and teachers are dead or missing. Many angry parents are blaming poorly constructed buildings -- and corruption they allege saw funds and materials siphoned off -- leaving schools to be built of what they call "tofu dregs." The simmering discontent has spurred the Chinese government into promising investigations into the design of the schools, and punishment for those found guilty of shoddy building work. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters A world of storm and tempest When the Earth Quakes
Graft fears as China turns to quake reconstruction
Juyuan, China (AFP) June 11, 2008China has insisted it will not allow corruption to infect its huge earthquake reconstruction effort, but one month after the disaster not everyone is convinced reality will match the pledge. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook