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MONDAY, JUNE 11, 1990
"THE COMPLETION OF THIS
PRELIMINARY EXTERNAL INSPECTION REPRESENTS ONLY THE FIRST PHASE OF THIS SPECIAL PRIVATE BUILDING INSPECTION EXERCISE AND IT IS NOW NECESSARY IN A FIVE-YEAR PERIOD ΤΟ FOLLOW UP AND INVESTIGATE ALL THOSE BUILDINGS FOUND ΤΟ BE IN A SUSPECT CONDITION.
"EFFORTS ARE FIRSTLY BEING CONCENTRATED IN DEALING WITH THE REMAINING 193 BUILDINGS WHICH ARE CLASSIFIED AS IMMINENTLY DANGEROUS, HE STRESSED.
MR SAMSON DID NOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF MORE BUILDINGS IN THE GROUP BEING SUBJECT TO CLOSURE AND DEMOLITION ORDERS.
"THE BUILDINGS THAT ARE CONSIDERED TO WARRANT FURTHER DETAILED SURVEY WILL THEN BE INVESTIGATED, WITH A VIEW TO SERVING REPAIR ORDERS UPON THE OWNERS," HE SAID.
HE SAID IT HAD LONG BEEN KNOWN THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM REGARDING THE DETERIORATION OF CONCRETE STRUCTURES, ESPECIALLY THOSE ERECTED IN THE EARLY POST-WAR ERA.
"THE REASONS FOR THE RAPID DETERIORATION OF BUILDINGS, IN SUCH A SHORT TIME SPAN OF LESS THAN DUE TO INFERIOR QUALITY MATERIALS, IMPURITIES IN POOR WORKMANSHIP IN THE ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION,
11
THESE CONCRETE 40 YEARS, MAY BE WATER CONTENT AND HE POINTED OUT.
"THE CONDITIONS MAY ALSO BE AGGRAVATED BY OVERLOADING, WEATHERING IN A POLLUTED ATMOSPHERE AND AN ALMOST COMPLETE NEGLECT MAINTENANCE AFTER CONSTRUCTION, MR SAMSON ADDED.
OF
RELATIVELY DRY IN MAY
*
A WET APRIL WAS FOLLOWED BY A RELATIVELY DRY MAY THIS YEAR, ACCORDING ΤΟ THE MONTHLY WEATHER REPORT RELEASED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY TODAY (MONDAY).
THE MONTHLY RAINFALL OF 102. 4 MILLIMETRES WAS JUST OVER ONE-THIRD OF THE MAY NORMAL OF 298.1 MILLIMETRES. AS A RESULT OF THE LATEST SHORTFALL OF NEARLY 200 MILLIMETRES, THE SURPLUS ACCUMULATED OVER THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF THE YEAR WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED.
RAINFALL SINCE JANUARY 1 NOW STOOD AT 633.1 MILLIMETRES, ONLY 13 PER CENT ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 561.1 MILLIMETRES FOR THE SAME PERIOD.
TROPICAL CYCLONE SIGNALS WERE HOISTED FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR FOR TYPHOON MARIAN, BUT MARIAN FAILED TO BRING ANY SIGNIFICANT RAIN TO THE TERRITORY.
/THE SUNNY