Corruption

Corruption is an engine of poverty and vulnerability. Impoverished communities suffer a disproportionate share of losses and are rendered less able to counter subsequent extremes.

Corruption is a significant cause of building failure in earthquakes. Reinforced concrete, used all over the world, will fail if cement and steel are not adequate. Buildings will collapse and occupants, users and neighbours will lose their lives. Only afterwards does wreckage and rubble reveal the causes of failure, the deaths, injuries, bereavement and loss, and what should have been the social purpose of building.

“Earthquakes don’t kill people; collapsing buildings do. While earthquakes may not be preventable, it is possible to prevent the disasters they cause. Many deaths ... result from buildings that folded in on themselves because concrete was diluted, steel bars were excised, or otherwise substandard building practices were employed.”
James Lewis, Global Corruption Report, 2005 Transparency International. Berlin. p23.

For the eradication of corruption a free media is pre-requisite; countries with a high incidence of corruption invariably have a controlled media (CHARTPressSubjug.pdf).