Corruption kills

摘要

The six-digit death toll from last year's Haiti earthquake compared with the absence of any fatalities in New Zea-land's identical magnitude (7) earthquake was a stark reminder that poor building practices are largely to blame for turning moderate earthquakes into major disasters. Earthquake-resistant construction depends on responsible governance, but its implemen-tation can be undermined by corruption or by poverty, through the use of substandard materials and assembly methods, or through the inappropriate siting of buildings.