Railway warned over air shafts
A group of Western district residents say they will hold the MTR Corporation responsible if their homes suffer during construction of a proposed ventilation shaft in Hill Road.
The residents fear emissions from the shaft - a necessary facility for the MTR's planned West Island Line - could pollute the air in their neighbourhood and that the extensive use of explosives during building of the underground railway could harm the structural safety of their blocks.
About 50 residents voiced strong opposition to the proposed works at a residents' meeting yesterday, in which they also accused the MTR Corp of ignoring them despite repeated protests.
The West Island Line Concern Group said the firm had kept them in the dark about its plans. A spokesman said: 'The ventilation shaft will be very close to a number of residential buildings and will operate 19 hours a day. The emissions will pose health hazards to residents, not to mention the noise problems.'
The ventilation shaft will be about the size of a two-storey building.
'The company will also use explosives to dig the tunnel. Some of our aged blocks could become dangerous buildings,' he said.
The group said residents would demand full compensation if blocks were damaged during construction.
Parents of children at Bonham Road Government Primary School are also fighting a plan to site a shaft next to the school. They said it would expose pupils to harmful fumes.
An MTR Corp spokeswoman dismissed such fears, saying emissions from the ventilation shaft were natural air. 'There will not be toxic gas because our trains run on electricity.'
Such shafts were a necessary part of an underground railway system to provide sufficient air flow for tunnels and stations, the spokeswoman said.
She added it was common practice in the city to use explosives in construction. 'We shall comply with all regulations and will also do condition surveys before using explosives.'
Work on the HK$8.9 billion rail line is expected to start this year.
