People's Democracy

China�s Response To Natural Disaster

Sudha Sundararaman

THE trip to China had many highlights, of which one significant experience was the visit that was organised to the earthquake affected region of Sichuan province in Central China. The extraordinary efforts that were undertaken by the Chinese government in ensuring that relief and rehabilitation was provided to the affected people has been widely written about, and appreciated. We saw evidence of the scale of operations that were underway to reconstruct lives and habitations in Dujiengyang city, situated about 1600 kilometers away from Beijing. Considering the devastating nature of the earthquake of May 12, 2008, the achievements were impressive. Attention was being paid to the reconstruction of lives and to the rebuilding of townships. We also saw how the State was giving top priority to addressing the needs of children. When looking back to the plight of the victims of natural disaster in the aftermath of the Bihar floods in our own country, the tremendous role played by the Chinese government to mitigate the impact of the disaster, and overcome the challenge of disaster management cannot but be acknowledged, and learnt from.

May 12^th earthquake

It is estimated that more than 50, 000 people died in the earthquake, which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale, and millions were rendered homeless and destitute. A sizeable number of school buildings were destroyed. Remarkably, within five days of the disaster, relief teams had reached all 3669 of the affected villages. The Chinese government sent 20,000 army and 30,000 police personnel into the disaster area immediately. One writer reporting in an international publication praised the People's Liberation Army, saying "whenever there's a life-or-death crisis, they're the ones on the front line." Food, clothes, tents and plastic sheeting for the victims was mobilised on a war footing. Emergency medical teams were sent from major cities to the quake zone, The Chinese premier Wen Jiabao reached the epicenter within hours, to oversee the relief efforts. Indeed, in the area that we visited, those we met repeatedly told us about the speed with which relief reached them, and the concern shown by the officials and the volunteers. Many of them had also participated in the rescue efforts. Mr Liu, the director of the school that we visited, had been instrumental in saving the lives of the children in the Beijei primary school, which had collapsed.

Though the number of lives that were thus saved by the quick intervention cannot be estimated, they must have been considerable in number.

Six months later

Now, six months after the quake, the victims of the disaster have been housed in temporary shelters that have been put up in all the affected regions. There are 16 big rehabilitation settlements, and 200 smaller ones. The one we visited in Dujiengyang looked more like a normal township than a temporary shelter. The only sign of something different was the fact that they were all single storey constructions, and were laid out in geometrical lines. Around 10,000 people were accommodated at this rehabilitation settlement. Each family was allotted a single house of about 20 sq metres. On an average, a family constituted three members, we were told. There were public washrooms, and conveniences that appeared very well maintained. A woman janitor was smiling at us in great curiosity, and came forward to shake hands with us, when told we were from India! We saw a restaurant, with some people enjoying a meal of noodles at small tables set up outside, and enquired about the food arrangements. The organisers informed us that you could either cook your own food, or you could eat at the restaurant at very affordable cost. The restaurant we saw was being run by a woman affected in the quake. Small shops in the area were selling regular use items- very much like our own petty shops. In fact, a cycle vendor was selling small items at throwaway prices, reminding us very much of our own local cycle vendors.

There was a temporary medical clinic that had been set up in the resettlement colony. It was very well maintained, with beds and emergency care services. As far as we could make out, there were no in- patients, vouching for a general level of good health in the community. The children whom we saw were all well protected from the cold, and there were no signs of malnutrition visible. In fact, the residents proudly informed us that in the 141 days since this colony had been set up, there were no incidents of crime reported at all!

A little distance away, we saw some men and women from different age groups practicing dance steps on a public platform. We were told that this was a form of regular exercise which many of the residents participated in, and that the platform was also used for staging concerts and plays.

Permanent settlements

The resettlement plan was envisaged in two stages. This was the temporary habitation. The reconstruction of entire townships was being planned on a two year basis, in areas selected on the basis of certain criteria. These were: good geographic location away from fault lines, sufficient usable land, conditions favourable to the expansion of the habitation, conforming to conditions suited to urban area reconstruction, and reflective of resident�s opinion. Draft plans that were being drawn up by the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design were being put up in different counties for public discussion. After the Plan was approved, which the authorities were hoping would be by February 2009, reconstruction was envisaged. The cost of reconstruction would be borne by the residents, with a small subsidy component provided by the government.

Within this larger plan that was moving forward with laudable efficiency, the residents of the resettlements were forming committees to take care of the various requirements. We visited the women�s committee office, in which a young girl was busy working on a computer, and a big photograph of Mao dominated the desk. Similar offices for youth affairs, workers� welfare, management committee, etc., were pointed out to us.

We left the resettlement colony, with a sense of amazement at how well organised it was, and how there was no sense of fear or insecurity amongst the residents.

Educational rehabilitation

The next place we visited was the Wan Chuan school, which was a temporary primary school functioning in the suburbs of Dujeingyan City. The school catered to around 6000 students from kindergarten upto senior high school, with around 160 classes. Students from seven such schools were being accommodated in the temporary school, which had been renovated with help from the government. The children who were proceeding for their lunch break in lines of two were examining us with frank amusement. We looked into the class rooms that they had just vacated, and saw comfortable, and cheery beds and toys in one portion of the class room. The books being used in the primary section were colourful, and had lots of pictures. The teacher student ratio was 1:25, just as in their regular schools.

30 children had lost both their parents in the quake. The teachers shared with us the efforts made to help the children overcome the psychological trauma. Indeed, the deep commitment of the teachers was commented upon by the director, who introduced us to a school teacher named Zhong Xuelen. She had lost her husband in the earthquake, and was now working wholeheartedly to help and support the children who had suffered grievous loss.

We were also informed that a massive reconstruction effort is underway to rebuild all the damaged schools. The staff was optimistically looking forward to this school being completed by July, so that they could shift by September 2009.

Resources

The degree of expenditure that is being incurred on the reconstruction runs into millions of yuan- the Chinese currency. (One yuan = around Rs 7) We asked about how the reconstruction efforts are being funded, and were told that it has three components. A considerable amount has been allocated by the government. There have been large scale donations from NGOs and charitable bodies. Foreign assistance has also been accepted for reconstruction. One of the positive aspects we noted in the State funding was that nearby counties have extended their support in the form of major financial inputs. Shanghai, for instance, has contributed 8 billion yuan to the reconstruction and rehabilitation drive in Sichuan province. Another interesting feature mentioned by the local comrades was that the People�s Liberation Army is helping directly in the reconstruction work.

When our delegation returned from the quake hit area, the images of deserted apartments with cracks running right through, shops and recreation centres that had collapsed in this top tourist destination, jostled with the vision of a reconstruction effort that was comprehensive and unbelievably ambitious. Planning and implementation were being meticulously enforced at many levels. The participation of the people was also being facilitated. Such a significant intervention highlights the political attention that the disaster has claimed from the government. China has adopted a special law on emergency management last year, specifying the government's responsibilities and setting up emergency management offices that report to the State Council. But even more than the legal and administrative measures, the spirit of working together to overcome a common problem was what we perceived as the most important feature. With the people and the government working in tandem, even such a massive disaster can be overcome- this was the experience that we were left with after the visit to the earthquake hit province of Sichuan.