ENG-2008 — Page 285

Infrastructure Development and Heritage Conservation | 225

Island and Sha Tau Kok to prevent underground archaeological deposits from being damaged during the building of village houses at those sites.

On education and publicity, the AMO organised an exhibition entitled 'Building Together: 160 Years of Hong Kong-French Common Heritage and Perspectives' at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre in collaboration with the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macao from September to the end of 2008.

A new electronic database, the Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Architectural Information System, was launched in March 2008 enabling the public to gain access to data about 200 traditional Chinese villages and buildings in the territory.

Greening

The bureau continues to co-ordinate implementation of greening measures to improve the living environment in Hong Kong and to draw up a greening programme for the whole of Hong Kong each year. About 63 million plants including trees, shrubs and annuals were planted during the past five years with 7.5 million planted in 2008-09. The bureau organised about 60 greening and horticultural activities in 2008 to promote greater public awareness and support for greening.

Greening Master Plans

The Government is developing and implementing Greening Master Plans (GMPs) for the various areas in the territory. GMPs define the overall greening frameworks and themes for individual areas and are developed using an enhanced partnering approach, consulting District Councils and the local community in the process. The greening works proposed in the GMPs for Sheung Wan, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei commenced in August 2008 for completion by the end of 2009. The development of GMPs for the remaining urban areas will be completed in early 2009 and related greening works will commence in late 2009 for completion by the end of 2011. The bureau will start development of GMPs for the New Territories in late 2009.

Drainage Services

Flood Prevention Programme

The Drainage Services Department has been implementing an $11.8 billion flood prevention programme in the New Territories for river training works and village flood pumping schemes, and an $8.8 billion programme of urban drainage improvement works to raise substantially the standard of flood protection.

In Northwestern and Northern New Territories, about 75 kilometres of river have been trained with 27 village flood pumping schemes in operation. The risk of regional flooding in the New Territories has been substantially reduced. Work on improving another 37 kilometres of upstream rivers and storm water drains in Sha Tin, Tai Po, Fanling and Sheung Shui are due for completion in 2012. Design work for another eight kilometres of drainage channels in the upstream portions of the

Page 285Page 286