[Radix] Haiti

[James Lewis]

On Transparency International's Perceived Corruption Index (2009), 
Haiti comes in at 168 amongst a total of 180 countries. The higher 
the figure, the higher is the extent of corruption as perceived by 
indigenous observers. In varying degrees, reflected by the index, 
corruption pervades every country and every sector of activity. 
Construction industries world wide have been identified as amongst 
the most corrupt; corruption intrudes in the allocation of contracts 
and permits to build (governing buildings' location), the influencing 
of inspections and supervision, and the construction processes 
themselves by the omission, substitution or depletion of crucial 
materials or requirements.

Without adequate governance systems to oversea post-earthquake 
reconstruction, the results of the next earthquake will show no improvement.

Examination of media images showing collapsed buildings, reveals 
visible differences in the rubble. Bare and twisted steel standing 
proud of concrete broken to gravel, implies insufficient cement in 
the concrete mix. Chunks of concrete hanging off minimal 
reinforcement suggest inadequate reinforcement steel to hold the 
concrete together. Buildings collapsed like a pile of sandwiches, 
with floors intact but columns broken, suggests a reasonable 
construction attempt but with insufficient attention to structural 
capacity and detail, especially at junctions of floors with columns. 
The ultimate comparison is the buildings that remain standing amongst 
those that do not.

These personal observations apply anywhere where ubiquitous 
reinforced concrete is in use. Yes, seismic fault systems play tricks 
where some areas might escape and others do not, but there is enough 
to see (for at least this armchair critic) to be reasonably certain 
of these hitherto unshared observations upon which comments would be welcome.

James