1965 — Page 136

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

MR. LOBO: Mr. Chairman, I am asking this question because the tank near to Eucliffe at Repulse Bay has been in a very poor condition for years, and that is a particular spot where tourists stop to take photographs of Repulse Bay. They not only have a panoramic view but they certainly have a very good whiff of the harbour at the same time.

(7) MRS. E. ELLIOTT asked the following question :-

(a) It is reported that repairs on Nathan Road in the Argyle Street area are likely to last 14 years. What will be the deleterious effects on the health of persons living for such a protracted period in (i) the dusty atmosphere, and (ii) the constant jarring of cement-mixers?

(b) Would these effects on public health be reduced if the work were done with more concentrated effort over a shorter period?

THE ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES replied as follows:-

I understand from my colleague, the Director of Public Works, that the contractual period for the repairs to Nathan Road is just under 15 months. Work is being carried out in two phases, each comprising three stages so designed as to minimize disruption to traffic and inconvenience to pedestrians and residents in the area.

It cannot be denied that these road works will cause some physical and mental irritation to persons living in the vicinity, particularly as the works will be carried out from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. It is, however, unlikely that noise and dust created will have any greater effect on health than the many building works being carried out all over the Colony.

Any shortening of the time to carry out these repairs would, of course, reduce discomfort to residents. I have, however, been informed by my friend, the Director of Public Works, that the repairs are being carried out in the shortest time possible, bearing in mind complications such as replacing and enlarging existing underground services, certain of which, such as the laying of water mains and large new sewers, are essential to the maintenance of and improvements in the standard of health of the Colony. I understand the only way in which the contract time could be shortened would be by further extension of the working hours; this would of course have marked effects on health in the vicinity by seriously interfering with the sleep of residents.

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MR. BERNACCHI:- Could we have an assurance by the Director of Public Works that, having carried out these repairs, the roadway won't be dug up again by one of the utility companies to lay gas or electric or telephone wires?

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: Mr. Chairman, I cannot give such an assurance because if one of the buildings on the side of the road, which is about 2,000 feet long, should be redeveloped from a 5-storey pre-war house to a 30-storey post-war tenement house which, in itself, will probably have a population greater than the whole of the Peak or the whole of Stanley, the drainage connection will itself be somewhere towards being a sewer. We cannot, in doing these road works, put in these very large drainage and water connections on the off-chance that one of the buildings nearby will need a connection. I admit that this is one of our very real problems. We do have a standing rule in the department that when a road of this sort has been re-constructed, no digging up is permitted for two years without going up to very high level but there are many occasions when, having gone to the high level, we just have no alternative but to give permission for it to be dug up. The only assurance I can give is that we will make every effort to reduce it to an absolute minimum.

MR. BERNACCHI:- Thank you.

MRS. ELLIOTT:- I notice that we have been told that any quickening of the process would require a lengthening of working hours. Would there be any reason why the number of workers cannot be increased because the work appears to me to be going at snail's pace?

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: If you have, as Mr. BERNACCHI clearly understands, 4 or 5 different public utilities each with a different contractor, you cannot have them all working together without any sort of co-ordination. One cannot dig up an electric cable without there being a certain amount of danger of getting an electric shock and killing oneself. If you had people digging up sewers and water mains and electric cables and telephone wires and gas pipes all at the same time all over the place there would almost certainly be a very serious accident. We have not yet got to the stage when we can take over from the utilities and direct them as to which contractors they should use, nor can we direct the contractors as to exactly how many workmen they have got to have. We are not using prison labour or gang labour. Contractors have rights themselves as to what they do and how they carry out the work. This is often not appreciated by the public. They seem to think that we can force the contractors to get 200 or 300 or 400

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