ENG-2000 — Page 283

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

The 11 District Survey Offices of the SMO provide land survey services to facilitate various land administration activities, such as land sale, land grant, lease modification and land resumption. The Legislation Section of the office is responsible for the execution of those functions assumed by the Land Survey Authority (LSA) under the provisions of the Land Survey Ordinance. The ordinance provides for the registration and discipline of land surveyors engaged in land boundary surveys, for the control of the standards of land boundary surveys, for the establishment of land boundary records and for related matters.

The Photogrammetric and Air Survey Section of the SMO provides aerial survey services to clients in both the public and private sectors. Three Digital Photogrammetric Workstations were installed in 1999 to replace the outdated analogue stereo-plotters that had been used for more than 20 years. With the advanced digital photogrammetry technology, a range of new products and services, such as an orthophotomap (an aerial map which is rectified to remove geometric distortions), 3D modelling and image analysis, are being developed for various purposes.

Survey and mapping activities are technology dependent. In particular, the geographical information system technology is developing rapidly and the demand for digital map information has been increasing rapidly.

Rural Public Works Programme

In order to continue upgrading the infrastructure and improving the living environment of the rural areas following the close of the 10-year Rural Planning and Improvement Strategy (RPIS) minor works programme in March 2000, a new Rural Public Works (RPW) Programme has been operating under the management of the Home Affairs Department since April 1999. To capitalise on the established local liaison networks, the department continues to adopt a two-tier administrative structure consisting of the RPW Programme Steering Committee and the District Working Groups. The Steering Committee, whose members include representatives of the Heung Yee Kuk and the New Territories District Councils, oversees the general implementation of the programme and offers advice to help expedite work. The District Working Groups prioritise local improvement needs and assist in resolving local objections to the proposed projects under the programme. This structure provides stronger local participation in the improvement of rural areas.

Drainage Services

Flood Prevention Infrastructure

The Drainage Services Department (DSD) is implementing a series of major flood control projects in the New Territories and in West Kowloon, costing about $12 billion.

In the north-western New Territories, construction works for improving about 10 kilometres of the middle and lower reaches of the Kam Tin River and the Shan Pui River in Yuen Long have been completed. Construction of about nine kilometres of drainage channels for the upper reaches of the Kam Tin River and the Ngau Tam Mei stream has been in progress since 1999. Design work for another 23 kilometres of new river channels is under way, including the Yuen Long Bypass Floodway, the

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