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The Government is determined to continue its vigorous efforts to minimise the risk of landslips and to green slopes in Hong Kong with a view to meeting the public expectations for a safer and better living environment, the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, said today (March 3).
Mrs Lam was speaking at the opening ceremony of a Community Planting Day of the Landslip Prevention and Mitigation Programme (LPMitP) held in a works site at Cheung Tung Road in Tung Chung by the Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO) of the Civil Engineering and Development Department.
She said since the establishment of the GEO in 1977 and the launching of the Landslip Preventive Measures Programme in the past three decades, the overall landslide risk from man-made slopes had been reduced by 75% from that of 1977.
"The LPMitP launched in 2010 is systematically dealing with substandard man-made slopes and mitigating landslide hazards from natural hillsides, with a view to containing landslide risks in Hong Kong within a reasonably practicable low level in the long term.
The LPMitP, which dovetailed with the Landslip Preventive Measures Programme in 2010, is being implemented on a rolling basis with the annual output of upgrading 150 government man-made slopes, conducting safety-screening studies for 100 private man-made slopes and implementing studies and necessary risk mitigation works for 30 natural hillside catchments.
"The fact that a large number of landslides occurred on natural hillsides during the severe rainstorm in Hong Kong on June 7, 2008 shows that the inclusion of natural hillsides in the new LPMitP is a right and forward-looking decision," she said.
Mrs Lam said in addition to enhancing slope safety, the GEO also strive to promote slope greening. The event today is very meaningful in increasing participants' awareness of the landslide hazard of natural terrain and the community's understanding of the government's slope greening efforts.
More than 50 students participated in today's event and they planted about 600 trees and 1200 scrubs in the works site.
Also officiating at today's ceremony were the Director of Civil Engineering & Development, Mr Hon Chi-keung, Head of GEO, Mr Chan Yun-cheung, Chairman of the Islands District Council, Mr Chow Yuk-tong and Chairman of the Geotechnical Division of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, Mr Edwin Chung.
For more information about the LPMitP and slope safety, please visit hkss.cedd.gov.hk.
Ends/Saturday, March 3, 2012
Issued at HKT 13:37
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