By Edith Lin
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Hong Kong’s development minister has vowed to learn from the experience of Super Typhoon Ragasa and review coastal facilities, saying that flood mitigation measures will be introduced for high-risk areas such as Tseung Kwan O and Aberdeen.
Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho made the pledge on Saturday, three days after Ragasa inundated low-lying and coastal areas, with restaurants along a Tseung Kwan O promenade and Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel among those hit by flooding.
“Based on this typhoon, departments will review whether it has missed out locations that require enhancement, and whether the planned facilities, retaining walls or flood barriers are tall enough and need to be heightened. We will work on it,” she told a radio show.
Linn stressed that the government had taken reference from international data and the city’s past experiences to formulate coastal management strategies and flood-mitigation designs along the coastline.
She noted that the city’s promenades had been built with a width of 20 to 30 metres (65.6 to 98.4 feet) to prevent buildings from flooding.
Boulders had also been placed alongside sea walls, while wave walls at least one metre tall and water barriers had been put in place outside buildings, she added.
Such features were already in place at the hard-hit Tseung Kwan O promenade, including a wave wall that was five metres taller than the water level, Linn said.
She said authorities had started building an extra one-metre-tall flood wall at the planter of the promenade’s cycling path, aiming to complete it next year, after earlier studies identified the location as one of the 30 spots that required enhancement.
Linn said she believed that the flood wall would provide an extra layer of defence, adding that the government would discuss with affected restaurant operators the installation of inflatable water barriers during typhoons.
Coastal restaurants in the district had their glass doors smashed during the storm, while chairs and booth seats were flushed out onto the pavements.
Restaurateurs earlier said they expected the repair costs would spiral into millions of Hong Kong dollars and exacerbate their business woes.
Another hard-hit area was Aberdeen, with floodwater rushing into the Fullerton Hotel’s ground-level lobby on Wednesday.
Linn said the government’s planned Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter expansion would include building an additional breakwater barrier, which could help improve the hotel’s situation.
The government would seek funding approval from the Legislative Council for the expansion work next year and take into account experiences from Ragasa as part of future yacht facility planning, she said.
Linn stressed that while the government worked on the hardware, coastal neighbourhoods had a responsibility to improve their facilities, plan for evacuation and increase their awareness.
She said the government was happy to provide suggestions, such as how to strengthen glass doors and add barriers in front of them. She also suggested that property owners could consider relocating their seaside entrances.
The minister said residents in other areas typically considered more flood-prone, such as Tai O and Lei Yue Mun, had prepared in anticipation of Wednesday’s typhoon.
“Some new spots have yet to become aware [of the risks]. I hope everyone can gain the experience and strengthen their awareness,” she said.
Linn also spoke about the city’s land supply during her radio show appearance.
Authorities recently shelved plans to build three artificial islands in the waters off Lantau Island, giving priority to building the Northern Metropolis megaproject along the border with mainland China.
She explained that the government aimed to provide 1,800 hectares (4,448 acres) of “spade-ready sites”, or developable land, in the Northern Metropolis over the coming decade and would work on attracting investment and companies to take part in the megaproject.
Linn said the private sector would need to invest and play a role in developing land for the initiative, which centres around building an economic powerhouse driven by the innovation and technology sector.
“If we push forward the 1,000-hectare Kau Yi Chau reclamation project at the same time, the government and the market will see their manpower and capital come under immense strain,” she said.
“After a review, we think we should offer flexibility and focus on Northern Metropolis.”
Asked if the decision had resulted from pressure by developers, Linn stressed that the government led the reclamation project and would not listen solely to one voice but instead assess the overall situation.
Linn added that her team would proceed with fundamental studies as the project remained a potential source of land, and hoped it would be taken forward at an appropriate time.
The government planned to accelerate the development of the Northern Metropolis by setting up statutory bodies or entities to operate a cluster of land parcels for industry parks.
She highlighted that such organisations, despite being owned by the government, would have the flexibility in how they attracted investment and companies.
“Some will ask whether such bodies will be unsupervised. Please do not forget that everyone has been asking the government to remove barriers and relax regulations,” Linn said.
She stressed that the government still had supervision over the bodies, including appointing members to their boards and requiring them to submit reports.
Linn also discussed various measures to fast-track the development of Hung Shui Kiu, a new town under the Northern Metropolis.
She said the government would adopt a “two-envelope” approach by assessing both the price and the development plan of bidders taking part in the coming tender for the area’s large-scale land disposal scheme.
The minister said the large-scale land disposal would allow the bidder to form and construct infrastructure for large land plots.
Upon completion, some land would be handed back to the government, and the developer can keep the remaining land to develop, such as building private homes for sale, she added.
