PROVOKING

As torrential rains hit eastern and southern China, many major cities, including Guangzhou, Nanchang and Wuhan, have found their drainage systems hopelessly inadequate to cope with the flooding, with entire sections of urban sewage systems quickly overwhelmed by the deluge. The crisis sparked much online mockery, with netizens advertising inland trips to “see the sea, for free,” while others have demanded to know why apparently vast investment in the affected cities’ drainage systems had done little to avert the crisis. Many voices are urging the government to investigate whether funds earmarked for drainage infrastructure have instead found their way into the pockets of administrators.