The local fire department and volunteer citizens in Changsha, Hunan province, have continued their citywide search for Yang Lijun, a 21-year-old girl who fell into a sewer and was flushed away by a rainstorm on March 22. Though more citizens have prayed for Yang's safety, a miraculous return may not happen since she has been missing for several days, says an article in Yangtse Evening Post. Excerpts:

While actively carrying out the search and rescue, people have a common question: Why was there no manhole cover where Yang fell? Police who participated in the rescue guessed it might be a groundwater swell that pushed up the manhole and washed it away in the fast current. Others also said the culprit might be the heavy downpour.

Whatever the reason, it is an undeniable fact that the manhole cover did not stand the test of natural disaster like a rainstorm. It "left its post" and caused the girl to go missing. Who is really to blame is the department responsible for the management of public facilities, since a citywide rescue involving tens of thousands of people may not stop the loss of life, but a dutiful and responsible department might.

Also, what happened showed that the cover may have been in bad repair and unable to withstand the rainstorm. Therefore, the responsible department should find such problems during routine inspection and eliminate potential safety hazards. It should also foresee the potential damage done to city infrastructure by upcoming rainstorms and plan precautions in advance. Only by such regular management and key regulatory inspections during emergencies can problems be spotted and tragedy prevented.

Many cities nationwide are now in or will soon face the rainy season. Therefore, such lessons should be learned by local governments not only in Changsha but all other cities.