Dangerous depot

    THE deadly explosions in Tianjin reminded me of the Qingshuihe explosions in Luohu, Shenzhen, on Aug. 3, 1993. The chemical warehouses in Qingshuihe were built close to residential quarters and were run by a company connected with the Shenzhen Municipal Public Security Bureau.

    The Qingshuihe chemical warehouses also were only a short distance away from Shenzhen’s major oil depot. If the explosions had triggered blasts at the oil depot, a much bigger tragedy would have devastated the city.

    The tragedy in Tianjin shows that China did not learn from the bloody 1993 incident that killed 15 people and injured more than 800 others in Shenzhen. Now we still have oil depots in Shenzhen that are in the vicinity of residential estates, such as the one in Dongjiaotou, Shekou.

    Local residents and lawmakers have called for years for the Shekou depot to be moved to a new location that will be a safe distance from residential areas. Now, the city must act to remove dangers lurking near our neighborhoods before it is too late.

    She Kang via email

    Elevator safety

    THERE have been many stories recently about severe accidents involving escalators and elevators in China. One thing I noticed with elevators in China is that elevator doors often keep closing even if something gets between them.

    All over the world, elevator doors have a sensor that recognizes when people or other objects come between two closing doors that cause them to reopen automatically. Quite often when I enter elevators, the doors close too quickly, slamming on me and causing bruises. What is the problem with elevators in China? This has to do with cutting corners in order to make more money. Manufacturers and maintenance companies failing to ensure elevator safety should be punished with the highest penalties possible because they put people’s lives at risk.

    Jeffry Kuperus via email