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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1982
HK CALLED +A GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER'S PARADISE+
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THE SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS, MR DAVID MCDONALD, SAID TODAY THAT IT MUST BE QUITE OBVIOUS EVEN TO A CASUAL OBSERVER THAT +HONG KONG IS SOMETHING OF A GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER'S PARADISE+.
SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE FIVE-DAY SEVENTH SOUTHEAST ASIAN GEOTECHNICAL CONFERENCE, HE SAID: +AT THE PRESENT TIME, THERE IS POSSIBLY A GREATER CONCENTRATION OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING ACTIVITY IN HONG KONG THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD. AS A CONSEQUENCE, THERE IS A CORRESPONDINGLY HIGH CONCENTRATION OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERS.+
MR MCDONALD SAID: +OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, HONG KONG HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING AN ECONOMIC BOOM. THIS HAS BEEN PARTICULARLY MARKED BY THE EXTENSIVE CIVIL ENGINEERING AND BUILDING WORKS WHICH HAVE BEEN TAKING PLACE IN BOTH THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS AND GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERS HAVE BEEN DEEPLY INVOLVED WITH THIS HIGH LEVEL OF CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY.+
THE GOVERNMENT, HE ADDED, WAS UNDERTAKING A WHOLE RANGE OF MAJOR CIVIL ENGINEERING AND BUILDING PROJECTS, THROUGH ITS SEVERAL WORKS DEPARTMENTS:
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LARGE SITE FORMATION WORKS WERE CONTINUALLY UNDER WAY IN HONG KONG'S HILLY TERRAIN TO CREATE FLAT LAND FOR RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENTS AND THESE WORKS WERE OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY MAJOR RECLAMATION SCHEMES.
THERE WERE SEVERAL ROAD SCHEMES IN VARIOUS STAGES OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION.
THE CAPACITY OF THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY WAS BEING CONSIDERABLY INCREASED BY DOUBLE-TRACK ING AND ELECTRIFICATION.
SIX NEW TOWNS, EACH OF WHICH COULD BE CONSIDERED A MASSIVE CIVIL ENGINEERING PROJECT ON ITS OWN, WERE AT PRESENT UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
LARGE DIAMETER TUNNELS WERE BEING ADVANCED THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS TO CARRY FRESH WATER FROM CHINA TO MEET HONG KONG'S EVER INCREASING NEEDS.
THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY CORPORATION HAD RECENTLY COMMENCED TUNNELLING WORKS FOR A NEW UNDERGROUND LINE THAT WOULD RUN FROM WESTERN DISTRICT TO CHAI WAN AND THE NEW CASTLE PEAK POWER STATION PROJECT MUST RANK AS ONE OF THE LARGEST CIVIL ENGINEERING PROJECTS OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD.
/IN ADDITION