| News
Stories: |
 |
Click-on
these handy "jump links" to quickly access the news item
you're
looking for.
1.
Hong Kong buildings must be made safer:
academics
1. Hong Kong buildings must be made safer: academics
Colum
Murphy and Jonathan Li, The Standard 8 January 2005
Hong
Kong needs to thoroughly research seismic and other hazards to make
buildings and infrastructure more resilient to natural disasters,
academics said on Friday.
``We
should put more resources into finding out if there are [safety]
problems, and how to solve them,'' Xu Youlin, professor and director
of research at Hong Kong Polytechnic University's Research Center
for Urban Hazards
Mitigation,
told an engineering seminar at the university's Hung Hom campus.
``[But] we need government support to carry out such extensive research.''
Xu
said the HK$7 million spent by PolyU on a research program into
urban hazards since 2002 was too limited to do full justice to such
an important topic. The program is due to finish at the end of this
month.
In
closing remarks at the seminar, Permanent Secretary for the Environment,
Transport and Works Lo Yiu-ching, said: ``In view of the research
work conducted by Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the government
is going to collaborate with the university in developing various
means to mitigate the [seismic] risk, and also [work] to develop
safer designs economically.''
Yet
Lo said any talk of the territory imposing stricter building regulations
in the form of a seismic code is premature. ``The risk to Hong Kong
is minimal,'' Lo said, adding that the threat from strong winds
is far greater than any seismic threat.
A
spokesman for the Buildings Department said that in 2002 it commissioned
engineering firm Ove Arup and Partners to investigate dangers posed
by earthquakes and seismic activity to buildings in the territory.
The findings of the report are due out later this year.
However,
the spokesman added that it is too soon to say that the report will
lead to the introduction of a seismic code.
Many
cities and regions in China have such codes, including Macau and
Shanghai, according to Chau Kam-tim, professor and associate head
of the department of civil and structural engineering at PolyU.
Chau
said that while the risk of Hong Kong being struck by an earthquake
is low, the risk nonetheless exists.
He
said Hong Kong's topography, characterised by steep, landslide-prone
hills, as well as extensive stretches of reclaimed land, could magnify
the impact of an earthquake. | 
