【明報專訊】◆Source A

Looking for Mr. Chan on the twelfth floor? Don't you know the elevator shaft is down by two levels, thanks to MTR work?

Source: a cartoon by 尊子 published in Ming Pao on 2018.09.01

◆Source B

The construction of the Shatin to Central Link has caused settlement of buildings and facilities. Statistics gathered at 1483 monitoring points and published by the MTR on 30th August 2018 show that 131 (or nearly 9 percent) of the monitoring points recorded settlement. The MTR has also disclosed for the first time that five of the ten stations of the Shatin to Central Link and five locations along the link have experienced settlement, involving 15 buildings and gas pipes.

To Kwa Wan Station and Exhibition Centre Station are among stations that have experienced excessive settlement. According to sources from the MTR, 14 buildings around To Kwa Wan Station have recorded settlement, and they are clustered in Ma Tau Wai Road. Some buildings are still sinking nearly six months after the main part of the construction work was completed. The building that has recorded the greatest settlement sank by 61 mm in July 2018.

Source: Ming Pao, 2018.08.31

■Questions and answering guidelines

◆1. Identify and illustrate how settlement of buildings affects resident negatively.

Threats to structure of buildings and human safety

Settlement brings cracks to buildings. In serious cases, it could undermine the structure of a building, putting residents' lives under the threat of building collapse.

Economic loss

Settlement causes damage to buildings' facade and even structure, and the cost of repair and maintenance has to be shouldered by residents. Such damage also decreases the values of buildings, hurting the interests of flat owners.

Impacts on living conditions

Cracks on the walls might cause water to seep through or paint to peel off. This affects living conditions and quality of life.

◆2. What should the government consider when carrying out large-scale infrastructural projects?

Whether the supervision is strict

In the construction of Shatin to Central Link, many errors have not been identified soon enough, which increases the difficulty of remedial work. If the government's supervision had been stricter and checks had been conducted with greater frequency and on a wider scale, some serious mistakes might have been prevented.

How people's livelihood will be affected

The government must also consider how the lives of people living nearby will be affected by prolonged periods of noise, safety issues of buildings and disrupted daily routines. If residents are likely to be severely affected, the government can consider carrying out the project in phases or shelve the project.

Contingency plans

A large-scale project is highly complex. Any error in any part could cause the entire project to fail. That is why the government should consider whether there is a contingency plan, in what circumstances it should be executed and how it should be executed.

Text: 劉俊偉, head teacher of liberal studies at PLK Yao Ling Sun College

Translation: Terence Yip

[通通識 第564期]