Traffic chaos continues in aftermath of downpours
Heavy downpours at the weekend were still playing havoc with traffic yesterday, with one Kowloon-bound lane of Lion Rock Tunnel Road closed last night due to muddy water flowing down a slope.
The closure resulted in serious traffic jams, with cars backed up as far as Sha Tin City One Plaza at the height of the jam at 9pm.
While workers were still trying to fix the problem last night, commuters were advised to check traffic conditions this morning before using Lion Rock Tunnel Road.
One lane of Lantau's Tung Chung Road and South Lantau Road, both closed after being blocked by landslides on Saturday, were reopened yesterday, the Transport Department said.
However, commuters said ferry services between Tung Chung and Tai O were inadequate yesterday morning when the roads were still cordoned off.
In Tsuen Wan, some sections of Route Twisk and Fu Yung Shan village - scene of a fatal landslide on Saturday - remained sealed off because maintenance work was still being carried out.
Although the heavy rain had subsided yesterday, there were at least 16 new landslides. A slope collapsed near Kwun Ping Road in Tsz Wan Shan. No one was hurt.
The downpours and landslides at the weekend were the most serious in 11 years, the government's chief geotechnical engineer said yesterday.
There were more than 140 landslides, with one person killed and two injured, and many roads and buildings put at risk.
Au-Yeung Yan-sang, the chief government geotechnical engineer, said the potential landslide index, which measures the risk of landslides as a result of a rainstorm, reached a magnitude of 10 during the rains. This was the same level recorded in 1994, when heavy rain led to more than 200 landslides, including the massive slip that engulfed Kwun Lung Lau estate in Western District, killing five people.
The index is determined by the strength of a storm, an area's population density and the number of slopes. More than 500mm of rain has fallen on some parts of the city since Friday.
Of the landslips, 12 were classified as serious because they required evacuations and the closure of buildings or roads. On Saturday, a 41-year-old man was buried alive by a landslide in Fu Yung Shan village, Tsuen Wan.
Mr Au-Yeung said: 'Although the index is the same as 11 years ago, we have seen some improvements over the years in terms of the number of landslides and casualties.'
He said it was impossible to prevent all landslides, but engineers could try to minimise the risks.
The department aims to halve the landslide risk by 2010 and plans to investigate 300 private slopes and upgrade 250 government slopes a year.
Cleanups were continuing yesterday in the hardest-hit villages such as Fu Yung Shan.
