ENG-1960 — Page 260

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PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

Yau Ma Tei scheme is in complete operation and work has begun on the remaining four. Work on two of the five schemes on the Island has already started and the Wan Chai scheme is in partial operation.

Surface water, draining down from the hills through built-up areas, used to be led to the sea through large open-trained chan- nels, known locally as 'nullahs', which passed down the middle of the roads, with bridges at the crossings. These nullahs were frequently ten feet wide or more, and almost square in section. With the tremendous increase in both wheeled and foot traffic, such obstructions had to be removed. During the last eight years this work has proceeded steadily and many nullahs have been decked or culverted, greatly relieving the congestion on some main traffic routes. Extensive systems of culverts have been constructed at the resettlement estates at Wong Tai Sin, Kwun Tong, Jordan Valley and Chai Wan, and in new towns such as Tsuen Wan and Shek Wu Hui, to divert stream-courses and so allow clearance of the sites.

After the May floods in Yuen Long, a special investigation of the drainage problems of this low-lying town showed what steps could be taken to reduce the risk of flooding in any future heavy rains.

Port Works. Work started in August on a 726 foot extension of the Hung Hom seawall to allow five more acres of this reclama- tion to be completed. Another thousand feet of seawall were con- structed in front of the Arsenal Street Police Headquarters to retain the three-and-a-half acres of reclamation under the sea front by-pass which joins Connaught and Gloucester Roads.

A ferry pier and seawall were opened for use at Cheung Chau in the New Territories, and two piers were constructed at Tung Chung and Ma Wan for the convenience of the public and ferry company. Until then ferries had to disembark their passengers by sampan at these places.

Work at Tsuen Wan included the main seawall, landing facilities for junks discharging their loads, and an area of reclamation for the resettlement blocks to house villagers who had been displaced by the Shek Pik dam. A fire among squatter huts intruding on the shelter area in Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Anchorage allowed dredging to be carried out which gave more room for vessels. Work began