Precaution before landslides can save lives

The landslide in Zhenxiong, Yunnan province, which claimed 41 lives so far, raises the question of whether the region was covered by the national troubleshooting network for the hidden dangers of geological hazards or monitored by the relevant authorities, says an article in the Beijing News Daily. Excerpts:

The disaster in Zhenxiong happened after nearly 10 days of rain. But the survivors said that they had not received any advance warning before the disaster hit the village, which is located on a steep slope. Five people are still buried. We wish them good luck to escape from the disaster.

A similar disaster hit the county in 2007. Thanks to the authorities' precaution at the time, 363 people safely moved out of their homes before the landslide turned their homes into debris.

Disasters such as landslides don't have to be that scary. What really makes them fatal is the lack of attention, or incompetence from some departments whose responsibility is to warn people before they happen, especially in an area like Yunnan, which is often hit by geological disasters.

If the landslide was triggered by the operations of nearby coal mines, as many suspect, the local authority should take responsibility, because it was an accident caused by human error.

Local authorities must carry out thorough investigations to find the causes of the disaster, include all nearby villages in the supervision network for geological disasters and make the warning system work for local people.

A strict accountability system must also be enforced for those who failed to provide warnings on time.