XN000022-1982-11-22 — Page 8

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1982

7

IN ADDITION TO THE WIDE RANGE OF PUBLIC WORKS AND PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS GOING ON IN THE NEW TOWNS, BUILDING ACTIVITIES OF PARTICULAR NOTE WERE THE LARGE PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES AND THE HIGH-RISE RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL BLOCKS WHICH DOMINATED THE SHORELINES OF HONG KONG AND KOWLOON, MR MCDONALD SAID.

A SMALL LAND AREA COUPLED WITH A POPULATION IN EXCESS OF FIVE MILLION PEOPLE MADE THE ECONOMICAL DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF LAND OF PRIME IMPORTANCE TO HONG KONG'S ECONOMY, HE ADDED.

+UNFORTUNATELY THE MAJORITY OF THE TERRAIN IS EXTREMELY HILLY, AND THIS MAKES LAND DEVELOPMENT DIFFICULT AND COSTLY. THE IMPORTANCE OF ADEQUATE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING INPUT INTO ALL LAND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IS THEREFORE OBVIOUS.

+AT ONE EXTREME, THIS INVOLVES THE PROVISION OF GEOTECHNICAL INFORMATION FOR PLANNING PURPOSES; AT THE OTHER, IT DICTATES THAT FULL RECOGNITION OF GEOTECHNICAL FACTORS BE MADE IN THE SAFE AND ECONOMIC DESIGN OF INDIVIDUAL BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES,+ MR MCDONALD SAID.

TURNING TO THE EXCEPTIONALLY HEAVY SEASONAL RAINFALL

MR MCDONALD SAID THIS HAD GREAT IMPLICATIONS FOR CIVIL ENGINEERING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION. IT WAS PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT FOR GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO WERE CONCERNED WITH SLOPE STABILITY AND SLOPE-RELATED PROBLEMS.

+ BECAUSE OF HEAVY DOWNPOURS LANDSLIPS ARE NOT UNCOMMON. FORTUNATELY, THE MAJORITY OF THESE ARE SMALL, AND THEY CAUSE CASUALTIES ONLY INFREQUENTLY. REGRETTABLY, HOWEVER, THERE HAVE IN THE PAST BEEN A FEW LANDSLIP DISASTERS WHICH RESULTED IN MANY DEATHS AND INJURIES,+ MR MCDONALD SAID,

IN ORDER TO GUARD AGAINST THE REPETITION OF SUCH TRAGIC EVENTS, THE GOVERNMENT ACTED DECISIVELY IN 1977 TO ESTABLISH THE GEOTECHNICAL CONTROL OFFICE, HE ADDED.

THE PRIMARY REASON FOR STAGING A CONFERENCE OF THIS KIND, MR MCDONALD SAID, MUST BE THE ADVANCEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE SCIENCE AND PRACTICE OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING TO THE BENEFIT OF THE PROFESSION AND TO THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT ASPECT OF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES WAS THE OPPORTUNITY THEY AFFORDED FOR PARTICIPANTS OF DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND EXPERIENCES TO EXCHANGE VIEWS INFORMALLY AND TO FORGE RELATIONSHIPS WHICH OFTEN PROVE TO BE OF GREAT PROFESSIONAL VALUE, HE ADDED.

/8

Page &