XN000022-1977-02-11 — Page 5

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1977

CRASH REMEDIAL PROGRAMME

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WORK WILL BEGIN IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE CHINESE NEW YEAR ON A CRASH PROGRAMME OF REMEDIAL WORKS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF FILL SLOPES IN PUBLIC HOUSING AREAS DURING THE COMING WET SEASON.

THE P.W.D.'S DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT, MR. DAVID STEAD, SAID TODAY TENDERS HAD ALREADY BEEN RECEIVED FOR ALL THE WORKS NECESSARY TO BRING THE SLOPES INTO LINE *ITH THE NEW SPECIFICATIONS FOUND NECESSARY IN THE LIGHT OF THE STUDY BY WORLD EXPERTS OF LAST YEAR'S SAU MAU PING LANDSLIDE.

CONTRACTS WOULD BE SIGNED NEXT WEEK.

HE ESTIMATED THAT THE COST OF THE CRASH PROGRAMME WOULD BE MORE THAN $30 MILLION.

+REMEDIAL WORKS AT SAU MAU PING HAVE ALREADY BEGUN AND THE FULL PROGRAMME WILL SWING INTO HIGH GEAR RIGHT AFTER THE LUNAR NEW YEAR,+ HE SAID.

IN SOME CASES, WORK MAY HAVE TO CONTINUE AROUND THE CLOCK TO BEAT THE DEADLINE BEFORE THE ONSET OF THE RAINY SEASON, HE ADDED.

MR. STEAD SAID THAT PROSPECTIVE CONTRACTORS WHO WERE SUITABLY QUALIFIED FOR THE JOB HAD BEEN BRIEFED WELL IN ADVANCE ON THE SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS AND NATURE OF THE WORKS SO AS TO ENABLE THEM TO MAKE THE NECESSARY PREPARATIONS AHEAD OF TIME.

+ALL SELECTED CONTRACTORS WILL BE WORKING UNDER STRICT SUPERVISION TO ENSURE THAT THE WORKS ARE CARRIED OUT ON SCHEDULE AND IN KEEPING WITH THE RIGOROUS STANDARDS LAID DOWN IN THE REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL PANEL OF EXPERTS,+ HE SAID.

THE PANEL OF EXPERTS AND THE SPECIALIST FIRM OF GEOTECHNICAL CONSULTANTS, BINNIE AND PARTNERS, HAD MADE A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF ALL FILL SLOPES IN ALL PUBLIC HOUSING AREAS.

THEY HAD DETERMINED THAT ONLY 11 FILL SLOPES AFFECTING TENANTS MIGHT BE AT RISK IF THEY WERE SUBJECTED

TO MORE SEVERE RAINFALL CONDITIONS THAN HAD EVER FALLEN ON THEM BEFORE.

THESE SLOPES WERE AT LEI MUK SHUE, TAI MO HAU, KWAI SHING, SO UK, CHAI WAN, TSZ MAN SHAN, SAU MAU PING AND AT THE LAI CHI KOK AND CHAI WAN COTTAGE AREAS.

NEARLY