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LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
upper reaches of the Kam Tin River, the Ngau Tam Mei stream and the San Tin drainage channel.
In the northern New Territories, the most critical flood mitigation project is the Shenzhen River Regulation Project, which aims to improve the downstream outlet for several major rivers in the area, such as the River Indus and the River Beas. Stage I and II works were completed in April 1997 and June 2000 respectively. Planning and design for Stage III works were in hand, with construction scheduled to commence in 2001 for completion in 2005. Corresponding improvement works for the River Indus and the River Beas had also started, to match the Stage II works.
On completion of these river training works, flood prevention measures in the New Territories will be greatly improved.
In addition to the major river training works, village flood protection schemes were also implemented to protect low-lying villages, which are lower than the drainage. channels, from flood hazards. These schemes consist of a protective earth bund encompassing the village, a flood storage pond and a flood water pumping station. Flood water within the protected area is collected in the flood storage pond for pumping into the drainage channels outside the bund. To date, 19 such schemes are in operation and another six schemes are at various stages of planning and design. In West Kowloon, good progress is being made on the Stage I drainage improvement works, which are scheduled for completion in 2003. Stage II works had commenced in December 1999 for completion in 2004. In order to minimise the occurrence and extent of road openings caused by the extensive drainage improvement works, construction works for a flood storage tank underneath the Tai Hang Tung Recreation Ground and a 1.8-kilometre stormwater transfer tunnel from Kowloon Tong to the Kai Tak Nullah will start in early 2001 for completion in 2004. The underground flood storage tank will have a capacity of 100 000 cubic metres.
The DSD has also completed seven Drainage Master Plan Studies to review the condition and performance of the existing stormwater drainage systems in various flood-prone areas in Hong Kong. Both long-term and short-term measures to upgrade the system to cope with current and future development needs would be devised.
The department operates a preventive maintenance programme whereby the public drainage system is regularly inspected and desilted before and during the rainy seasons. This ensures the effective discharge of stormwater, and prevents blockages and overflows which may cause flooding and nuisance to the public.
In 2000, the DSD maintained over 2 200 kilometres of watercourses, river channels and drains. About 400 000 cubic metres of silt from drains and watercourses were removed in order to keep them free from blockages. To provide effective drainage services, a 24-hour drainage complaint hotline service was operated to receive complaints from the public on blocked drains. The department also operated an Emergency and Storm Damage Organisation to ensure that emergency situations could be dealt with speedily and efficiently.
The department strives for continuous improvement of its services by undertaking various public education activities on flood prevention through roving exhibitions with video shows at popular shopping centres, wide distribution of promotional leaflets and pamphlets, media site visits and press conferences. Since the launching of an 'Outreach Programme' in September 1999, engineers have visited more than 50