XN000022-1987-05-06 — Page 17

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 1987

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FLOOD PROTECTION ACTION MEANS BUSINESS'

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THE SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS, THE HON GRAHAM BARNES, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY) THAT GOVERNMENT'S FLOOD PROTECTION ACTION +MEANS BUSINESS+ AND HE HAS APPOINTED THE DIRECTOR OF CIVIL ENGINEERING SERVICES (DCES) AS GOVERNMENT'S MAIN CO-ORDINATOR IN RELATION TO ALL PREVENTION AND REMEDIAL ACTION AGAINST FLOODING.

WINDING UP THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE ON FLOODING IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR BARNES SAID HE HAD ALSO RECENTLY REVIEWED BRIEFLY THE RESPECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES AND PROCEDURES OF THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS WHICH HAD RESPONSIBILITY FOR FLOOD CONTROL, AND CONCLUDED THAT THESE PROGRAMMES WERE VERY COMPREHENSIVE AND THAT ALL PARTS OF THE MACHINE WERE WORKING VERY WELL.

-APART FROM THE FACT THAT WITH SUCH A WEALTH OF UNPLANNED ACTIVITY IN SUCH AN ENORMOUSLY VULNERABLE AREA THE PHYSICAL PROBLEMS OF FLOOD PREVENTION ARE THEMSELVES VERY FORMIDABLE- THE MAIN AREA TO POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENT SEEMS TO BE THAT OF CO-ORDINATION AND OF OVERALL RESPONSIBILITY, HE SAID.

MR BARNES SAID THAT DCES WOULD AS A MATTER OF URGENCY REVIEW ALL MEASURES TAKEN BY GOVERNMENT IN CONNECTION WITH DRAINAGE AND FLOODS AND ALL KNOWN BLACK-SPOTS WITH A VIEW TO TAKING THE BEST ACTION TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

HE SAID WITH A LAND-FALL OF ONLY 11 METRES OVER THE 9.5 KILOMETRES WHIGH SEPARATED PAT HEUNG FROM THE MOUTH OF THE YUEN LONG RIVER, AND A MASS OF UNCONTROLLED ACTIVITY CHANGING THE INTERVENING LANDSCAPE DAY BY DAY THE NORHT-WEST NEW TERRITORIES WAS LITTLE SHORT OF A DRAINAGE ENGINEER'S NIGHTMARE.

+THERE ARE HOWEVER FOUR CATEGORY ITEMS CONCERNED WITH LOOD CONTROL IN YUEN LONG DISTRICT, AND THE DIRECTOR WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT THESE BOTH IN RELATION TO THE IMPENDING DEVELOPMENT OF TIN SHUI WAI TO WHICH THREE OF THEM ARE RELATED AND THE GENERAL PROBLEMS OF THE AREA.

+SIMPLER LOCAL IMPROVEMENTS TO EXISTING WATER-COURSES WILL ALSO BE LOOKED AT, MR BARNES SAID.

•VE ARE TOTALLY AGREED THAT IT IS TIME TO PLAN MORE SYSTEMATICALLY FOR WORKS ON A CONSIDERABLY LARGER SCALE TO IMPROVE PARTICULARLY THE ACCESS TO AND SANITATION IN THE VILLAGES AND RURAL AREAS.

+THIS YEAR'S ESTIMATES PROVIDED FOR CONSIDERABLY INCREASED PENDING ON THESE IMPROVEMENTS, INCLUDING FOR THE FIRST TIME A PROVISION FOR MAINTENANCE OF EXISTING WORKS, AND WE ARE PLANNING A FAR MORE COMPREHENSIVE AND SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO THEM.✦

ON THE QUESTION OF PAYMENTS TO FARMERS UNDER THE COMMUNITY RELIEF TRUST FUND, MR BARNES SAID IT WAS TRIJE THAT THESE WERE REGARDED AS EX-GRÁTIA PAYNENTS AND WERE NOT INTENDED TO COMPERSATE THE LOSS, BUT RATHER TO ASSIST FARNERS AT A CRITICAL TIME.