THE landslides over the past week have exposed a shortage of surveying officers, such officers said yesterday.
More than 100 survey officers, mainly from the Civil Engineering and Buildings and Lands departments, assembled in Central's Chater Garden to voice grievances.
Wong Wai-hung, a senior survey officer, attributed the recent spate of landslides to the Government's failure to have enough inspection staff.
''All the incidents happened because of insufficient checking of dangerous slopes,'' he said.
''But the continuing shortage of survey staff has disrupted the schedule which we should have had for regular inspection . . . ''Slopes branded as dangerous should be checked every day and those stable, every three months.'' But only 15 officers, of the more than 500 in total, are assigned to slope inspection work for the whole territory, he said. Officers' others duties are to assist surveyors in works projects.
Mr Wong said the number of officers should be increased significantly.
