Newsletter No. 276

SAFE, ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY, AND MUCH MORE H o ngKong, with its high population density, torrential rainfall, and dynamic natural terrain, hashad its fair shareof landslides. Todaythe number of landslide-related fatalities is low, compared to 30 years ago, but there are still around 300 landslide reports every year on average. The hilly Chinese University campushas a large number of slopes 一 approximately 500* overan area of134 hectares,including 300 man-made slopes registered in the government's Slopes Catalogue, and 200 natural slopes.Although therehave beenno landslide-associated deaths or casualties to date, the University remainsvigilant against potential landslide risks in the interest of a burgeoning campus community. At CUHK, slopesafety policy is the responsibility of the Standing Committee on Campus Geotechnical Matters, while execution and maintenance fall into the hands of the Campus Development Office(CDO) and the Estates Management Office(EMO) respectively. Formalizing a Campus Slope Policy The committee was set up in 1998 at the initiation of the then vice-chancellor Prof. Arthur Li after a landslide near the old r a i l way tracks f o l l ow i ng the infamous d own p o ur of 1997. The commi t t ee comp r i sed the chairman Dr. George H u ng Hon-cheung, inventor, engineer and then chairman of the Chung Chi College Board of Trustees and member of the University Council; Mr. V i ncent Chen, t hen d i r ec t or of the Campus Development Office (CDO); Mr. Dav id L im, current director of CDO; Ir. Francis Wong, geotechnical engineer of CDO; the chief geotechnical engineer f r om the government's Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO); and a geotechnical consultant f r om industry. Subsequently the GEO representative retired f r om the committee after the engineering aspects of policy were in place and t wo landscape architects f r om the Hong Kong I n s t i t u te of Landscape A r ch i t ec ts and the Highways Department were invited to join. Dr. George Hung pointed out that the main criteria governing the formulation of the policy were 一 first and foremost — safety, timeliness and prevention rather than remedy. 'It has always been our practice to meet government requirements in slope safety works but maintain a much higher standard for landscape and environmental issues. We simply cannot afford to have anyone involved in a slope accident,' stressed Dr. Hung. The University's proactive stance towards slope safety has been necessitated by need — there are buildings, roads and other community facilities in close p r ox imi ty to slopes. In Hong Kong, when prima facie evidence is established that a private slope is liable to become dangerous, a statutory Dangerous Hillside (DH) order w i ll be served by the Buildings Department to the owners of the slope upon the recommendation of the GEO. The order w i l l require the owners of the slope to carry out investigation and the necessary upg r ad i ng works to the slope. Shortly after its establishment, the committee was dogged by a very pertinent question: 'Should we just follow D H orders as they are issued one by one?' But when slopes not covered by DH orders started to show ominous signs of slippage after a few downpours, it was clear that the University had to be proactive. The EMO found minor landslides and rocks falling from slopes that had not been stabilized, causing damage to roads, pavements, and drainage systems; they have also handled claims for cars damaged. The CDO actively took up the slope engineering inspections and minor rectification works, w i th money f r om the Un i v e r s i ty Grants Counc i l 's A l t e r a t i ons, Additions, Repairs and Improvements (AA& I) vote. For slopes that are considered by professional consultants as requiring stabilization, f und i ng is sought from the Government Public Works Sub-committee's capital works vote via the UGC Safety from Bottom up The committee was soon confronted w i th another problem, that of drainage. Leakage from underground water-carrying pipes can have a major impact on slope erosion and stability. The huge landslide in Kw un Lung Lau, Kennedy Town in the mid-1990s, was caused by the tw in effects of leaking underground drains and heavy rain. This disaster led to a major review of underground water-carrying pipes on slope safety in Hong Kong. Wasting no time, CDO, in partnership w i t h EMO, brought in consultants and contractors to survey all major underground drains on slopes using CCTV while EMO carried out visual inspections of manholes, covered channels, and so on; broken or blocked drains were fixed and, where necessary, slopes were rectified. Since 1996, a total of HK$467 m i l l i on has been approved by the government for slope stabilization, and investigation and repair of buried water-carrying services at the University. Dr. Hung remarked, ' The committee was very efficient and effective. If we needed a dollar, we app l i ed for a dollar. We never d i p p ed into the recurrent grant. The capital works budget is separate from the University's operating budget.' Campus Greening The government only requires our slopes to be stable but we have chosen to go beyond that,' said Dr. Hung. The Un i v e r s i ty also requires its slopes to be beautiful. Wi th much needed mechanisms in place to ensure safety, after the initial phase of stabilization of landslide slopes, the committee then turned its attention to the preservation of existing trees, slope greening and landscaping, as well as associated minor improvements to adjoining facilities such as shortcut steps, pavement widening and disabled access. In doing so, the committee is coupling campus improvement w i th cost-savings — a side benefit of mak i ng the campus more pedestrian- friendly and driver-friendly. * All figures provided by the CDO. 4 No. 276 4t h April 200 6