TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1976
REPAIR WORK ON SAU MAU PING SLOPES BEGINS NEXT MONTH
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WORK WILL BEGIN NEXT MONTH ON PERMANENT REPAIRS TO THE SAU MAU PING SLOPES INVOLVED IN THE LANDSLIDES TRIGGERED BY AUGUST'S VIOLENT RAINSTORMS.
THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, MR. WILLIAM BELL, SAID TODAY THAT THE GROUP OF LOCAL AND OVERSEAS EXPERTS WORKING WITH P.W.D. CONSULTANTS BINNIE AND PARTNERS HAD NOW ENDORSED BINNIE'S DESIGNS FOR THE LONG-TERM REMEDIAL WORKS.
AS A RESULT, CONTRACT DOCUMENTS WERE BEING DRAWN UP AND WORK ON THE SLOPES - BEHIND BLOCKS 9 AND 15 OF THE ESTATE - WAS EXPECTED TO BEGIN EARLY IN NOVEMBER.
THE CONTRACT FOR THE WORK WOULD STIPULATE THAT ALL REPAIRS MUST BE COMPLETED WITHIN FIVE MONTHS WELL BEFORE THE START OF NEXT YEAR'S WET SEASON.
MR. BELL SAID THAT WORK WOULD ALSO BEGIN NEXT MONTH ON INTERIM PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF SLOPES IN A NUMBER OF OTHER HOUSING ESTATES, WHERE BINNIES HAD IDENTIFIED AREAS SHOWING CHARACTERISTICS SUPERFICIALLY SIMILAR TO THOSE OF THE SLOPES AT SAU MAU PING.
MR. BELL STRESSED THAT ALL OF THIS WORK WOULD ALSO BE COMPLETED WITHIN THE NEXT FIVE MONTHS, SO THAT THESE SLOPES TOO WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY SAFE BEFORE THE ONSET OF THE NEXT WET SEASON EVEN IN THE EVENT OF EXCEPTIONAL RAINFALL.
MR. BELL SAID: +EVEN THOUGH NONE OF THESE SLOPES APPEARS TO POSE ANY THREAT, IN VIEW OF WHAT HAPPENED AT SAU MAU PING BINNIES HAVE BEEN ASKED TO RECOMMEND IMMEDIATE REMEDIAL MEASURES AS A PRECAUTION UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE SAFETY OF THE SLOPES IS PROVEN.
+OF COURSE IN TAKING THESE MEASURES, WE MAY BE BEING UNNECESSARILY OVER-CAUTIOUS. BUT IT IS OUR DUTY TO TAKE EVERY POSSIBLE PRECAUTION TO ENSURE THERE IS NO RISK WHATSOEVER IN FUTURE.+
HE SAID THE IMMEDIATE PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES TO BE TAKEN ON THE SLOPES WOULD BROADLY FOLLOW THE LINES OF THE REMEDIAL MEASURES TAKEN AT SAU MAU PING STRAIGHT AFTER THE AUGUST LANDSLIDE, INCLUDING TREATMENT WITH A WATERPROOFING MEMBRANE TO PREVENT SURFACE INFILTRATION.
MR. BELL SAID BINNIES WOULD ALSO BE CARRYING OUT A CONTINUING PROGRAMME OF INTENSIVE INVESTIGATIONS TO SEE IF ANY FURTHER WORKS WERE ADVISABLE ON ANY OF THE SLOPES IN THE LONG TERM. BUT AS ANY WORK RECOMMENDED UNDER THIS PROGRAMME WOULD TAKE CONSIDERABLY LONGER TO IMPLEMENT. THE IMMEDIATE MEASURES PLANNED FOR COMPLETION IN THE COMING FIVE MONTHS HAD BEEN DESIGNED TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE SLOPES BEFORE NEXT YEAR'S WET SEASON.