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WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 1987
+BUT THE SITUATION WOULD BE VERY BAD INDEED IF THE SYSTEM WAS NOT WORKING PRETTY WELL, HE SAID.
THE NEXT LINE OF DEFENCE, MR BARNES SAID, WAS DESILTING ALL THE MAJOR STORM-WATER NULLAHS AND CULVERTS.
THIS WAS NORMALLY DONE ONCE A YEAR, WITH NULLAMS SUBJECT TO HEAVY SILTING BEING CLEARED AS MANY AS FOUR TIMES A YEAR.
DURING TYPHOONS AND RAINSTORMS, THE HIGHWAYS, URBAN SERVICES AND REGIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENTS MUST ALL ENSURE THAT ALL DRAINS AND SURFACE CHANNELS WERE KEPT CLEAR.
HE SAID THE CAPACITY TO DRAIN AWAY VERY HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF RAINFALL WAS A BASIC NECESSITY FOR THE ENGINEERING OF ALL URBAN DEVELOPMENT, WHICH WAS WHY ALMOST EVERY NEW TOWN WAS BLESSED WITH AT LEAST ONE NULLAH RUNNING THROUGH ITS MIDDLE.
THERE WERE NOT FOOL-PROOF, HOWEVER- IF THEY GOT BLOCKED, WATER PILED UP UNTIL THE BLOCK WAS CLEARED.
CLEARANCE MAY TAKE TIME, BUT THERE WAS A CONSIDERABLE MARGIN OF CAPACITY EVEN FOR VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND GENERALLY SPEAKING THE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS, WHEN COMPLETED, WERE EXCELLENT, HE ADDED.
WITH ALL THIS, SOME AREAS WOULD ALWAYS BE SUSCEPTIBLE.
+IN CHA KWO LING AND LEI YUE MUN, WHICH MR POON MENTIONED SPECIFICALLY, I UNDERSTAND THAT RECENT FLOODS WERE LOCAL PARTICULARLY IN THE SQUATTER AREAS, WHERE THERE ARE SCATTERED MAN-MADE DEPRESSIONS PARTICULARLY PRONE TO FLOODING, AND CONTROL OVER ILLEGAL DUMPING OF REFUSE AND DEBRIS IS LESS EFFICIENT,+ MR BRANES SAID.
+SO I THINK THAT THIS SYSTEM IS SUFFICIENTLY COMPREHENSIVE AND I SEE ONLY ONE MAJOR IMPROVEMENT WHICH NEEDS MAKING.
+BECAUSE RESPONSIBILITIES ARE DIFFUSE IT IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO BE SURE THAT THERE ARE NO GAPS IN THE SYSTEM.
ONE BILL PASSED ***
THE APPROPRIATION BILL 1987 WAS PASSED IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
TEN OTHER BILLS - THE BUSINESS REGISTRATION (AMENDMENT) BILL 1987, THE ROAD TRAFFIC (DRIVING LICENCES REGULATIONS AND REGISTRATION AND LICENSING OF VEHICLES REGULATIONS) (AMENDMENT) BILL 1987, THE IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL 1987, THE INLAND REVENUE (AMENDMENT) BILL 1987, THE ESTATE DUTY (AMENDMENT) BILL 1987, THE OCEAN PARK CORPORATION BILL 1987, THE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL (AMENDMENT) BILL 1987, THE LIFTS AND ESCALATORS (SAFETY)(AMENDMENT) BILL 1987. THE NEW TERRITORIES LEASES (EXTENSION) BILL 1987 AND THE DANGEROUS DRUGS AMENDMENT) BILL 1987 WERE READ A SECOND TIME AND DEBATE ON THEM WAS ADJOURNED.
THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED TO MÀY 13.
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