Independent subsidence study urged
Democrat lawmakers have proposed inviting an independent consultant to review the government report on sinking land in Tseung Kwan O.
Legislator Wong Sing-chi questioned yesterday whether the official inquiry, results of which were released on Tuesday, had uncovered all the issues.
'There may be hidden problems. An independent expert is needed to review the underlying factors, for example, whether the Government had already been warned of a leakage problem and still went ahead with the sewage tunnel excavation which eventually led to the ground subsidence. If that is the case, the Government is responsible for the problem and is liable to compensate residents,' he said
The report concluded that problems with buildings were not linked to the subsidence, which was caused by sewage tunnel work. Buildings were not at risk, it concluded, meaning residents were unlikely to get compensation.
Fellow Democrat Andrew Cheng Kar-foo said the ultimate step would be to give residents legal help. 'It's unfair for the Government to ask residents to collect evidence of damage before they can file compensation requests.'
More than 5,000 households from Beverly Garden and Tong Ming Garden said their homes had been affected.
The Territory Development Department, which reclaimed the sites in Tseung Kwan O in the 1980s, took 17 months to complete its report.
Inner parts of Tseung Kwan O town centre have seen sinkage of up to 80mm, while outer parts sank by as much as 270mm. In Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate and a parcel of land known as Area 86, sinkage reached up to 800mm.
