Many lessons learnt from Wenchuan quake

Government should support civil groups in rescue work

Private assistant groups, which complement government rescue and relief agencies, are usually the first to arrive in earthquake-hit areas in Japan. In China, too, more and more non-governmental organizations are providing humanitarian relief for the people in disaster-hit areas. In fact, some Chinese civil groups can now offer more timely, flexible, professional and innovative rescue methods than they did in the past.

But management disorder in the first few hours of emergency relief, volunteers high on enthusiasm but low on organizational support can disrupt normal rescue work. Therefore, it is necessary to promote closer cooperation and coordination among different government departments and individuals, and other organizations to ensure smooth rescue and relief work.

Although individuals and nonprofit organizations in China are developing fast, the training and management of their volunteers and equipment are still not as professional as their counterparts in developed countries. Therefore, the government needs to provide such civil rescue forces with more policy and financial support to make them truly professional.

Deng Guosheng, a professor at the School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University