February_1970 — Page 4

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Ho Man Tin low cost estate, on which site formation has begun. The estate will house 26,200

site formation is being carried out at four estates, and piling has begun on the last stage of the Kwai Fong project; when fully occupied, they will to- gether accommodate about 106,000.

On the basis of these figures, it is estimated that half the population of Hong Kong, or 2.1 million residents, will be provided with either low cost housing or resettlement flats by the Government by 1975.

STB building new exchanges

The Singapore Telephone Board is to build a new City East exchange which will be housed in a S$1.5 million five-storey structure in Kitchener Road.

The Board's general manager, Mr. A.Y.K. Loke, said last month that the exchange would have a capacity of 40,000 lines. It would have an initial

Proposed Kitchener Road exchange, Singapore

built-up area of 57,000 sq.ft., with allowance for the future addition of another storey and a further

10,000 lines.

Piling work has begun and construction should be finished by April 1971. The exchange is one of four being built by the Board under a four-year programme. Others are the Orchard, Bedok, Telok Blangah, Ama Keng and Shenton Way exchanges. The Orchard exchange is described in this issue.

Plover Cove extension

The storage capacity of Plover Cove reservoir will be increased from 37,000 million gallons to 50 million gallons by a HK$25 million project an- nounced by the Hong Kong Government last month.

Contractors have been invited to tender for rais- ing the crest of the main dam now 27 ft. above the low-tide level - by another 12 ft., and the two subsidiary dams proportionately. Increasing the height of the dam will provide an additional 10,000 million gallons and the installation of either syphons or gated spillways will add another 3,500 million gallons.

Raising of the main and subsidiary dams will be followed by the construction of a saddle dam at the neck of Tai Mei Tuk peninsular, and com- pletion of either a siphon or gated spillway across Middle Island. Rock fill materials will be taken from borrow areas along the north coast of Tolo Harbour and from an existing quarry at Turret Hill.

The project is estimated to cost HK$25 million and should be ready to take the summer rains of 1973.

Building plans approved

Fifty-nine new building plans of all types were approved by the Hong Kong Building Authority in November last and 33 buildings were certified for occupation.

Of the plans approved, 28 were on Hong Kong

Far East BUILDER, February 1970