To determine whether a slope or retaining wall meets the required standard, the owner should arrange for a Stability Assessment to be carried out by a professionally-qualified geotechnical engineer if such an assessment has not previously been done. A Stability Assessment should also be carried out if significant modifications have occurred to the slope or retaining wall or to any adjacent areas, or if there is a reason to believe that significant deterioration of the slope or retaining wall has occurred since a Stability Assessment was undertaken. A professionally-qualified geotechnical engineer may have to be consulted in deciding whether significant deterioration has occurred.
Some typical signs of landslide danger are listed in the pamphlet "How to protect your family and yourself when the Landslip Warning is in force." or from the Hong Kong Slope Safety Website at http://hkss.cedd.gov.hk/.
- Keep away from these slopes and retaining walls
- Report immediately any signs of danger to the police
- Notify the owner or property manager
The list of substandard Government slopes being upgraded or pending upgrading could be obtained through the Hong Kong Slope Safety Website at http://hkss.cedd.gov.hk/.
There are about 60,000 sizeable man-made slopes in Hong Kong registered in the Catalogue of Slopes, comprising:
About 21,000 post-1977 slopes which should have been designed and built to the current safety standards;
About 39,000 pre-1977 slopes, many of which may not meet the current safety standards and may have deteriorated due to lack of maintenance.
or, in terms of ownership:
About 40,000 Government slopes; and
About 20,000 private slopes.
Private owners are responsible for maintaining their slopes. This responsibility covers slopes within the private lot, plus slopes and adjoining land formed as part of the development and other areas specified in the lease or other land title documents. Government departments are responsible for maintenance of Government slopes.
The GEO has set up a computerized Slope Information System (SIS). Information on all registered man-made slopes in Hong Kong, including digital maps and images, can be accessed via a computer terminal connected to the System located at the Slope Safety Division of the Civil Engineering and Development Department (address : 7/F, Civil Engineering and Development Building, 101 Princess Margaret Road, Homantin, Kowloon). Internet version of the SIS is available in the Hong Kong Slope Safety (HKSS) Website. The public can access the SIS from a PC by visiting the HKSS website at http://hkss.cedd.gov.hk/
As part of the Government's continuous efforts to enhance public understanding of slope safety and to reinforce private owners' awareness of their slope maintenance responsibility, the GEO has set up a Community Advisory Unit (CAU) to provide advisory and information services to the general public on matters relating to slope safety and slope maintenance works. The CAU can be contacted at telephone number 2760 5800 or by electronic mail at cau@cedd.gov.hk.
The GEO has formulated a strategy to meeting Hong Kong's needs for the highest standards of slope safety and to enhancing the appearance of slopes. The main components of this strategy are:
- Improve slope safety standards, technology, and administrative and regulatory frameworks
- Ensure safety standards of new slopes
- Rectify substandard Government slopes and implement landslide risk mitigation measures to natural hillside catchments with known hazards to buildings and major transport corridors
- Maintain all Government man-made slopes
- Ensure that owners take responsibility for slope safety
- Promote public awareness and response in slope safety through public education, publicity, information services and public warnings
- Enhance slope appearance and aesthetics in the formation of new Government slopes and upgrading of existing Government slopes
The GEO maintains a 24-hour service to provide geotechnical advice to Government departments on any emergency actions to be taken in case of danger arising from landslips. The primary objective of the emergency service is to protect the general public from landslide hazards.
The GEO is very concerned about the aesthetic aspects of our slope upgrading works in the LPMitP. GEO is committed to landscaping all the slopes upgraded under the LPMitP and providing vegetation cover to as many slopes as practicable. We also identify and preserve existing mature trees on slopes wherever practicable. Professional landscape input is provided as an integral part of the design of the LPMit works. In practice, our designers try to make the finished slopes look as natural as possible in order to reduce their visual impact and improve the environment. Where the use of a hard surface cover is unavoidable on slope safety grounds, landscaping measures are taken to minimize its visual impact, such as by retaining existing trees, providing planter boxes along the slope toe and planting holes on the slope surface, and using decorative artwork, stone facings and surface colour treatment.
The GEO manages a Slope Safety System since its establishment in 1977. The effectiveness of the System is indicated by the declining casualty rate, which shows that landslide danger in Hong Kong has been substantially reduced since 1977. We have successfully reduced the overall landslide risk arising from man-made slopes to less than 25% of the 1977 level. However, there is no room for complacency about landslide risk and the Government will continue to strive to further reduce risk in partnership with the community.