ENG-1994 — Page 263

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LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

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THE Year 1994 marked the 150th anniversary of the territory's public works programme. It was highlighted by a major increase in spending on public works and the introduction of measures aimed at improving the government's capacity to build new infrastructure.

In all, some $250 billion worth of capital works projects were under management. To help ensure timely and efficient completion of the projects, a new, computerised management system and dedicated project teams were developed for the works group of departments. The Territorial Development Strategy Review entered its final stage, taking account of the need to adjust certain parameters in the light of long-term population forecasts. The final Technical Report for the study, which reviews the long-term land use, environmental and transport planning framework for the territory, will be released in three parts, with an executive summary to be issued in early 1995.

The new town development programme saw the completion of another 320 hectares of land and the provision of more community facilities. The foundation for the ninth new town at Tung Chung on Lantau Island began to emerge from the sea, with the formation of over 70 hectares of land. At the same time, the quickened pace of urban development was manifested by the expanding new reclamations at West Kowloon and Central.

In 1994, Hong Kong experienced its wettest July since 1884. There was widespread flooding in the New Territories. A large number of landslips also occurred, the worst of which involved the collapse of a retaining wall at Kwun Lung Lau, Kennedy Town, killing five people and injuring three.

The government's firm commitment to addressing the flooding and landslip problems was bolstered by the enactment of the Land Drainage Ordinance, an essential component of the strategy to reduce flooding in the territory, in March. To strengthen slope safety, the government commissioned in July a three-year study into the status of all slopes and retaining walls in Hong Kong, and will inject more resources into the inspection, maintenance and upgrading of slopes.

The government has also set up a task force to take tougher enforcement action against unauthorised land use and to undertake major improvement works in the New Territories, with the aim of improving the environment in that region over the next decade.

In December, to shorten the decision-making process on the convergence and interface of cross-border infrastructure projects, the Sino-British Co-ordinating Committee on Major Cross-border Infrastructure between Hong Kong and the Mainland was established.