China’s anti-corruption watchdog vows crackdown on misuse of flood relief funds
- Top anti-graft body calls reconstruction ‘the most urgent civil project’, urges surveillance to ensure proper building standards and use of money
- The pledge comes after report revealing abuse of billions of yuan for 2021 Henan flooding sparks public anger
The flooding in Beijing left 59,000 homes collapsed and another 147,000 seriously damaged, while 40,000 houses in Hebei collapsed and over 150,000 others were seriously damaged.
It called for local discipline inspectors to increase surveillance to make sure the funds are handled transparently and buildings meet construction standards.
It said there should be channels for people to report any misconduct and urged governments to focus on the accuracy of post-disaster statistics, bribery prevention and the correct usage of funds and donated items.
The CCDI also cautioned against government inaction and disorganised management in flood recovery.
According to the report, examples of misuse by county governments in the central province included diverting funds, building low-quality projects and obtaining funds despite not suffering flood damage.
The 2021 summer floods in Henan killed almost 400 people, resulted in economic losses of over 120 billion yuan and sparked nationwide uproar over censorship and the poor emergency response by local officials.
Public anger about the malfeasance revealed in the audit report inspired a commentary by the state-run Guangming Daily on August 2.
“Construction funds are specially issued by the state, so why haven’t they been used for the people?” the commentary said. “Who is so daring? Was there any regulation?”