XN000022-1983-04-17 — Page 3

2

SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 1983

HE EXPECTED THAT THESE AND OTHER SLOPES ALREADY STABILISED WOULD CONTINUE TO WITHSTAND THIS YEAR'S UNUSUALLY WET SEASON, NOTING TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, ALL THE LARGE FILL SLOPES THAT POSED A DANGER HAVE NOW BEEN SATISFACTORILY DEALT WITH.+

STABILISATION WORK ON LARGE FILL SLOPES HAVE ACCOUNTED FOR THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE TOTAL EXPENDITURE ON THE GCO'S LANDSLIDE PREVENTIVE PROGRAMME.

+WE ARE NOW FOCUSING ON SOIL CUT SLOPES, ROCK CUT SLOPES RETAINING WALLS AND BOULDER STABILISATION, DR BRAND EXPLAINED.

+BECAUSE OF THE SHIFT IN EMPHASIS, WE ARE NOW DEALING WITH A GROWING NUMBER OF SLOPES, HE SAID.

AS THE COST INVOLVED IS GENERALLY MUCH LOWER THAN FOR FILL SLOPES, THE TOTAL ANNUAL COST OF THE PROGRAMME IS LIKELY TO REMAIN AT ITS PRESENT LEVEL OF ABOUT $50 MILLION, DR BRAND EXPLAINED.

BESIDES THE GCO'S LANDSLIP PREVENTIVE PROGRAMME, OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS SPEND SOME $60 MILLION A YEAR ON VARIOUS FORMS OF SLOPE SAFETY MEASURES.

THE LARGEST SINGLE LANDSLIP PREVENTION PROJECT IN HONG KONG NOW NEARING COMPLETION IS BEING CARRIED OUT AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $60 MILLION BY THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT TO STABILISE THE HUGE SLOPE BEHIND THE TSZ WAN SHAN ESTATE, DR BRAND SAID.

A SUM OF OVER $23 MILLION HAS ALSO BEEN PROVIDED FOR BASIC IMPROVEMENTS TO BE CARRIED OUT IN 1983-84 BY THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT IN A NUMBER OF SQUATTER AREAS.

BESIDES PROVIDING BASIC SERVICES AND FIRE PREVENTION WORKS, THE PROGRAMME INVOLVES FIRST AID MEASURES TO REDUCE THE RISK OF LANDSLIPS, BUT DR BRAND EMPHASISED THAT THESE MEASURES COULD NOT RENDER THE SQUATTER AREAS SAFE FROM LANDSLIDES.

LOOKING AHEAD, DR BRAND DISCLOSED THAT THE GCO WOULD CARRY OUT STABILISATION WORK ON 39 SLOPES IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF HONG KONG DURING THE 1983-84 FISCAL YEAR.

THE GCO HAS RECENTLY COMPLETED A TERRITORY-WIDE NETWORK OF 42 AUTOMATIC RAINGAUGES WHICH FEED RAINFALL READINGS AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS VIA TELEPHONE LINES TO A COMPUTER IN THE GCO EVERY 15 MINUTES.

THIS SYSTEM PROVIDES EARLY WARNINGS ABOUT WHERE INCIDENTS ARE LIKELY TO OCCUR DURING HEAVY RAINSTORMS SO THAT SPEEDY ACTIONS CAN BE TAKEN. FOREWARNINGS CAN BE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO SQUATTER AREAS THREATENED BY LANDSLIDES.

IN THE LONG TERM, THE GCO WILL USE INFORMATION COLLECTED FROM THE SYSTEM TO ESTABLISH SCIENTIFIC CRITERIA RELATING LANDSLIPS TO RAINFALLS. THE INFORMATION IS ALSO USEFUL FOR ENGINEERING DESIGN, PARTICULARLY OF DRAINAGE.

/UEDTECHNICAL