The government says that it has launched an emergency project with the aim of consolidating the area where a landside occurred on Thursday evening, saying that it can only start to repair the remains of an old city wall, part of which was damaged by the landslide, after ensuring that the area is safe and stable again
The landslide damaged some flats of a residential building on the ground and first floors, forcing the affected residents to move out and temporarily stay elsewhere.
The landslide occurred at a construction site for an ongoing private residential project in Estrada de S. Francisco. The construction site is next to the government’s ongoing project to build an infectious disease building, which will be a new part of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre.
The landslide, which was triggered by heavy rain, affected the remains of the old city wall there, which is around 50 metres long.
The landslide affected lower levels of Ka On Court, a residential building next to the construction site.
A joint statement by the Lands and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU) and the Public Works Bureau (DSOP) on Friday said that the two bureaus have launched an emergency project to repair the area with the aim of ensuring residents’ safety. The statement described the conditions of the area as “complicated” as it is close to the remains of an old city wall, which is an officially-listed cultural heritage site.
The statement also said that the construction of the residential building has been suspended.
The statement also said that DSSCU officials have provisionally concluded that the landslide did not cause “immediate” danger to the structure of Ka On Court.
In a statement on Friday, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) insisted that it has made various suggestions and requirements for two construction projects which are located near the remains of the old city wall, namely the infectious disease building and the residential building.
Friday’s IC statement also said that in a previous project to repair the remains of the old city wall, IC officials gained an understanding of the materials and methods used to construct the wall. The statement said that after a project to consolidate the hill area there is completed, IC officials will start to repair the remains of the wall.
Speaking to reporters after attending a public event on Saturday, IC President Leong Wai Man said that the landslide affected around 18 metres of the 50-metre remains of the old city wall. She underlined that IC officials can only start repairing the remains of the wall after ensuring that the area is safe and stable.
Leong said that the government will assess which entity is possibly to blame for the landslide after it completes the consolidation work and the repairs of the remains of the wall.
Due to the two construction projects, Leong said that her bureau has set up devices in the area to detect any abnormalities that could affect the state of the remains of the wall.
However, Leong said that before the occurrence of the landslide, her bureau did not detect any abnormalities in the data collected from the devices.
Meanwhile, the affected residents living in Ka On Court have slammed the government for failing to provide proper follow-up measures to help them, such as giving them a timetable as to when they are expected to be able to move back to their homes. Residents living on the upper floors of Ka On Court also said that the government has failed to give them a clear answer as to whether the building is still suitable for habitation.
