bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

HONGKONG residents have responded poorly to a Government initiative in the wake of last year's Baguio Villa landslide tragedy.

  Andrew Malone, acting director of civil engineering, said the feedback to a major campaign to alert people to the dangers of slopes and retaining walls had been ''disappointing''.

  He added there was little awareness of the rules and regulations on slope management.

  The information push came after landslides killed three people in May last year.

  Two died when heavy rain caused a retaining wall and part of a fill platform to collapse and fall on Baguio Villas, Pokfulam.

  A retired police officer died after being trapped in a mudslide in Kennedy Road.

  An intensive information campaign was launched in the wake of the tragedy informing the public they were responsible for the slopes and walls behind private flats.

  A series of advertisements were shown on television, tens of thousands of leaflets were delivered and local safety meetings were held.

  Mr Malone said the Government wanted to hear public views on ways of improving the situation.

  But he said: ''Unfortunately the response has been disappointing.

  ''After the leaflets were delivered we sent out follow-up letters to the owners' committees and to the building managers.

  ''The letters asked what they intended doing about looking after their slopes.

  ''So far the response has not been what we would have liked.

  ''I am not going to speculate why, because it is still early days.

  ''We started sending out the letters at the end of last year and will be doing so right through 1993.''   He added: ''People have to realise the slopes are a problem.

  ''It is their responsibility to look after them and if they don't, they could become dangerous.''   Slopes and retaining walls are now classed as the ''common parts'' of a building under the recently enacted Government legislation.

  Mr Malone, speaking at a meeting of the Association of Property Management Companies yesterday, said the measure was designed to improve slope safety in the territory.

  ''It is now absolutely clear from the Ordinance that the Owners' Corporation is required to maintain the slopes and retaining walls in a state of good and serviceable condition,'' he said.

  ''Now the property managers will find themselves in a better position to persuade the private owners to pay for the maintenance works.''   Two new ideas are also under consideration following last year's rainstorms.

  The Government is looking at the possibility of including a slope maintenance clause, modelled on the present building maintenance clause, in the Deed of Mutual Covenant.

  Mr Malone said it would state the need for owners to maintain their slopes and retaining walls.

  It would also give the building managers the authority to carry out the duties on the owners' behalf.

  Another point under consideration is developers' sales brochures including the owners' maintenance obligations.

  Mr Malone called on association members to suggest new measures aimed at increasing safety further.

  He said: ''This is a professional body. We are working together and I am very encouraged by the progress we have made so far.'' 



Slope safety campaign a failure