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DR. LEE: In the absence of any designated licensed area for this purpose, can the Commissioner inform this Council whether any machinery exists for a person who applies for a permit, to stay in a licensed area?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: Not at present, Sir, but of course, as you are aware, we have had resite areas for some time and people in genuine difficulty can, from time to time, be advised to construct a house in one of the resite areas.
MR. BERNACCHI: Mr. Chairman, is the Commissioner for Resettlement aware that the Working Party did not recommend tenants from exemption order buildings to be resited in permitted areas, but in transit areas with considerably better facilities?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: I am aware, Sir, that a majority of the Working Party made such a recommendation.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, is it not a fact that in that respect Government accepted the view of the minority of two and not that of the majority of the Working Party?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: That is correct, Sir.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, is it not also a fact that Government would have done better had it accepted the minority report of one? (Laughter).
(10) DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:
In view of the smell and the extraordinary amount of mud and dust pervading in the streets and roads as an aftermath of the recent typhoons, will the Chairman take up with the relevant departments of Government as a matter of absolute urgency to expand the street cleansing operations with the Fire Brigade to make use of their equipment and personnel and to draw water from the fire hydrants so that the whole of the urban area may be cleansed quickly while millions of gallons of water are overflowing to waste from water reservoirs?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:
This problem has arisen from the washing down of large quantities of mud from numerous development and building sites by the heavy rains during Typhoon Dot. The areas most affected were Shek Pai Wan Road in Aberdeen and also a number of streets at the western end of Waterloo Road in Kowloon, including Reclamation Street, Portland Street, Sai Yeung Choi Street, Kwong Wah Street, Dundas Street, Pitt Street, Yin Chong Street and Soy Street. This list is not exhaustive. Mud was also washed into parts of Sham Shui Po, Kowloon Tong and Kwun Tong,
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My friend the Director of Public Works has been helping to clear away the mud and silt with the use of 30 vehicles and crews. At the same time the four special cleansing squads of the Urban Services Department in Kowloon have been giving assistance, using seven vehicles, including three hired tipping lorries. Eight street washing vehicles are also being used in Kowloon to hose down the streets as the mud is removed. Similar work is being undertaken in Aberdeen. Clearance of the mud from the streets in this way has unfortunately been a slow process, but it is nearing completion. An attack on the mud and dust in Kwun Tong is now starting.
The Director of Fire Services was approached for help in this matter and he kindly provided some hoses and other equipment on loan. This enabled the Urban Services Department to form four additional gangs for hosing down the affected areas, using water from fire hydrants. Last week I saw some of these gangs in operation during an extensive inspection of the areas in question and they seemed to be doing an efficient job. The Director of Fire Services was not able to release any of his fire-fighting staff for street cleansing work. As far as the Urban Services Department is concerned, the cleansing service has been temporarily expanded, as far as is practicable, to meet the present situation.
The question of dealing with mud and debris washed into or deposited in the streets from building and development sites is now being examined more closely by staff of the Roads Office of the Public Works Department, the Police and the Urban Services Department, in the light of the rapidly increasing rate of demolition and redevelopment throughout the urban areas. I hope to have the matter discussed at the next meeting of the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee.
DR. LEE: May I ask the Director of Public Works, through you, Mr. Chairman, if he is aware of the condition of some of the roads in the Colony and will he pay special attention to have them repaired, so that cleansing operations can be rendered more easy?
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