WITH the approach of the rainy season the Government is accelerating its efforts to protect dozens of, presumably, unsafe slopes with coatings of spray-on concrete (shotcrete). This is no doubt necessary to avoid a recurrence of the disastrous land-slips which occurred last year. However, is it necessary to produce such barren, awful eyesores in the process, particularly in the scenic areas of Sai Kung, Clearwater Bay and Hong Kong Island South? Can I ask the Government whether it has any plans to beautify these current blots on the landscape? Where the slopes are relatively flat, a nice solution would be the use of granite facing stones. However, I suspect this would be too expensive for the skinflints in charge of Hong Kong's massive budget surplus. Fortunately, cheaper solutions are available, such as spray-on colouring. Care needs to be taken to choose the most suitable colour for each location. For example, where a protected slope is located in a rocky area, a reddy-brown colour may be used. An excellent example can be seen in Tai Tam Reservoir Road. Alternatively, where the protected slope is in a grassed or wooded area, a green colour may be more suitable. A few slopes in Clearwater Bay Road were treated. This was late last year, with pleasing results. Whilst not perfect, a spray-on colouring, of almost any colour, is preferable to the sterile grey of shotcrete. I'm sure other alternatives are available, for example it is possible to spray small granite chippings (different colours available) on to a glued surface, producing a pleasant, rustic finish. All that is required is someone to use a little intelligence and creative imagination. Or is that asking too much of our civil servants? KEITH McNAB New Territories
