The government will take action after properties in luxury estate Redhill Peninsula were found to have illegal structures, Hong Kong leader John Lee has said. His comment came after some alterations came to light following a landslide triggered by record rains.
Speaking to the press ahead of his meeting with the Executive Council on Tuesday, Lee said authorities would prioritise ensuring the stability of the slope at Redhill Peninsula and the safety of residents.
Located southern Hong Kong island, Redhill Peninsula is a private housing estate overlooking Tai Tam Bay. It was the site of a landslide after torrential rains hit the city from Thursday night, forcing the evacuation of residents in one of the houses after the government said there was “clear danger.”
Lee also said the government would “take action in accordance with the law,” including prosecuting and claiming costs from those responsible if they were found to have broken the law, he added.
“Those who need to be prosecuted will be prosecuted, and structures that have to be demolished will be demolished,” Lee said on Tuesday, speaking in Cantonese.
Necessary enforcement
Hong Kong was hit by a rainstorm that brought flash floods and landslides to the city on Thursday night and Friday. The storm prompted authorities to issue the Black rainstorm warning – the highest rainstorm alert – for a record-breaking 16 hours.
Authorities said 158.1 millimetres of rainfall was recorded by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) in the hour after the warning was raised, a record high.
Lee’s remarks came after the city’s development minister Bernadette Linn said at a cross-department press conference that luxury properties at Redhill Peninsula had violated lease terms and unlawfully occupied government land.
House 72 – from which residents were evacuated – was found to have an illegal basement and to have illegally removed part of a wall to install windows, the Buildings Department said according to RTHK.
Next to it, House 70 was found to have illegal structures including a basement. House 74 was inspected on Tuesday morning after its owner earlier refused to let government personnel in, local media reported.
Linn said the government would proceed with “necessary enforcement against the relevant breaches” once the slope had been stabilised.
While all rainstorm signals were lifted on late Friday afternoon, occasional heavy rain has continued to batter the city.
On Monday morning, the HKO reported rainfall in Sai Kung measuring more than 100 millimetres in an hour, a day after Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan assured residents that they “should have no problems going back to school or work.”
Tseung Kwan O and Kwun Tong also saw several reports of flooding that triggered road closures, including on main thoroughfares such as Kwun Tong Road and Tseung Kwan O Road.
“It is important for us to know that because of global warming, the frequency of sudden and extreme weather condition may come more often than before,” Lee said at the Tuesday press conference.
The chief executive referred to the incidents as floods. His comment came after acting director of the Drainage Services Department (DSD) Chui Si-kay told reporters on Monday that those were not flooding cases, but rather, “localised water accumulation.”
Asked whether authorities would improve the city’s drainage systems, Lee said that there were different reasons for flooding, including sudden downpours in a specific area or blocked drains.
He added that the DSD would prioritise areas with a high risk of flooding when carrying out improvement works.
Local farmers and fishermen who suffered serious losses will be eligible to apply for financial assistance from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Lee added.
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