WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 1982
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DANGER OF MAN-MADE SLOPES
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SOIL CONDITIONS IN HONG KONG AND THE STEEP TERRAIN WERE SUCH THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF MAN-MADE SLOPES COULD BE SUBJECT TO DANGER OF FAILURE AT TIMES OF HEAVY RAIN, THE ACTING SECRETARY OF LANDS AND WORKS, THE HON N.K. CHAN, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
IN REPLY TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON WONG LAM, HE SAID PRELIMINARY GEOTECHNICAL INSPECTIONS HAD BEEN CARRIED OUT ON MORE THAN 10 000 SLOPES THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY WHICH MIGHT AFFECT PUBLIC SAFETY AND PROPERTY.
+THE INFORMATION FROM THESE INSPECTIONS WAS USED TO RANK THE SLOPES IN PRIORITY ORDER FOR DETAILED GEOTECHNICAL STUDY OF THE IR STABILITY, THOSE SLOPES WHICH WOULD AFFECT LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE
IF THEY FAILED BEING RANKED HIGHEST IN PRIORITY, HE SAID.
WHERE THE DETAILED STUDY HAD SHOWN THAT THE STABILITY WAS INADEQUATE, THE SLOPE HAD BEEN PUT INTO A PROGRAMME OF LANDSLIDE PREVENTIVE WORKS.
SINCE 1976, GOVERNMENT HAD CARRIED OUT MAJOR PREVENTIVE WORKS ON 252 SLOPES AND SMALL-SCALE PREVENTIVE WORKS ON MORE THAN 1 100 SLOPES. PRIORITY GIVEN IN THIS PROGRAMME TO FILL SLOPES HAD PROVED TO BE FULLY JUSTIFIED BY THE FACT THAT NO SIGNIFICANT FILL SLOPE FAILURES WERE REPORTED IN HOUSING AREAS, MR CHAN ADDED.
+WHILE CONCENTRATING OUR EFFORTS ON THOSE SLOPES WHICH MIGHT AFFECT LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE IF THEY FAILED IT HAS ONLY BEEN POSSIBLE TO MAKE PRELIMINARY SURVEYS OF OTHER SLOPES AND TO INSPECT SPECIFIC PROBLEM AREAS BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE GEOTECHNICAL CONTROL OFFICE BY OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS.
+ THE MOST UNSATISFACTORY AREAS FROM A SLOPE STABILITY POINT OF VIEW CONTINUE TO BE THE SQUATTER AREAS. A MAJORITY OF THESE ARE SITED ON SLOPES THAT COULD BECOME UNSTABLE LOCALLY DURING TIMES OF RAIN DUE TO THE DISTURBANCE OF THE SLOPE BY THE SQUATTERS, SAID,
HE
OTHER SQUATTER SLOPES REQUIRED IMPROVEMENTS TO THE OVERALL STABILITY OF THE HILLSIDE. THIS NECESSITATED THE UNDERTAKING OF EXTENSIVE WORKS AND THESE COULD NOT BE CARRIED OUT WITHOUT LARGE- SCALE CLEARANCE AND REHOUSING.
+THIS SOLUTION IS THEREFORE LONG-TERM AND MUST BE TACKLED IN THE CONTEXT OF OUR OVERALL HOUSING PROGRAMME. IT IS RECOGNISED THAT SLOPE FAILURES IN SQUATTER AREAS CANNOT BE ELIMINATED WHILE SQUATTERS OCCUPY THE HILLSIDES THE WAY THEY DO.
+ IN DEALING WITH THIS SITUATION THE GEOTECHNICAL CONTROL OFFICE WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE HOUSING DEPARTMENT WITH ADVICE WHEN REQUESTED AND WILL EXPLORE WITH THEM THE POSSIBILITY OF CARRYING OUT MINOR SLOPE IMPROVEMENT AND DRAINAGE WORKS AS PART OF THEIR SQUATTER AREA IMPROVEMENT SCHEMES SO AS TO REDUCE THE RISK OF LANDSL IPS IN THE FUTURE, + MR CHAN SAID,