XN000022-1994-05-27 — Page 15

GROWTH RATE IN MONEY TERMS OF:

GDP

PER CAPITA GDP

RATE OF INCREASE IN:

GDP DEFLATOR

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A)

13

FRIDAY, MAY 27, 1994

13.9

12.1

13.9 12.1

8 8.5

8 8.5

DEPARTMENTS READY TO DEAL WITH LANDSLIPS AND FLOODING

* * * * *

EMERGENCY CONTROL CENTRES HAVE BEEN SET UP WITHIN VARIOUS LANDS AND WORKS GROUP OF DEPARTMENTS WHICH WILL ACTIVATE CONTINGENCY PLANS TO DEAL WITH NATURAL DISASTERS.

THE DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR WORKS, MISS ELAINE CHUNG, SAID AT A PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY (FRIDAY) THE WORKS BRANCH HAD ESTABLISHED A STANDING COMMITTEE TO REVIEW EMERGENCY PROCEDURES ON A REGULAR BASIS.

OF MORE DIRECT CONCERN TO THE PUBLIC, SHE POINTED OUT, WERE THE PROJECTS UNDER THE FLOOD MITIGATION PROGRAMME AND THE LANDSLIP PREVENTION PROGRAMME.

"WE ARE IMPLEMENTING AND DRIVING THESE PROGRAMMES FORWARD WITH DETERMINATION AND VIGOUR, SHE NOTED,

"FIRSTLY, THE LANDSLIP PREVENTION PROGRAMME. SINCE 1977 WHEN THE GEOTECHNICAL CONTROL OFFICE WAS SET UP. THE GOVERNMENT HAS COMPILED A CATALOGUE OF MAN-MADE SLOPES.

"WE HAVE UPGRADED A TOTAL OF 525 OLD SUB-STANDARD SLOPES ON PUBLIC LAND AT A COST OF $1 BILLION AND ISSUED

ΤΟ NOTICES

PRIVATE OWNERS REGARDING 379 SLOPES.

"MORE THAN 65,000 PERSONS HAVE MOVED FROM HUTS ON STEEP SLOPES TO PUBLIC HOUSING.

SLOPES.

"LAST YEAR, WE CONTINUED THIS WORK, AND UPGRADED 76 GOVERNMENT

MORE THAN 1,000 SQUATTERS WERE REHOUSED.

MAN-MADE SLOPES A

"BUT THERE IS MORE TO LANDSLIP PREVENTION. MUST BE KEPT IN GOOD REPAIR. TO ALERT OWNERS TO THIS WE LAUNCHED PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN IN 1992," SHE ADDED.

TURNING TO FLOOD MITIGATION, MISS CHUNG SAID, NORTH AND NORTH- NEW TERRITORIES HAD BEEN MORE VULNERABLE TO FLOODS WEST

IN RECENT YBARS BECAUSE OF THE QUICK PACE OF DEVELOPMENT WHICH TOOK AWAY THE FLOOD STORAGE CAPACITY AND BECAUSE MANY OF THE NATURAL RIVER COURSES HAD BEEN BLOCKED.

/"THE GOVERNMENT