The Macau government has begun cleaning and repairing the Kaoncock Building, which was damaged by a recent landslide, but has tracked down the issue, saying that affected residents may still have to submit a bill. Legislator Ron Lam U Tow told Macau News Agency.
On Thursday, June 9, a landslide occurred at a private construction site in Estrada de San Francisco, damaging a 400-year-old section of the old city walls and the nearby Ka On Kok building, but injuring them. And no one died.
Resident Vincent Cheang told MNA how the landslide caused many of the stones on the floor of his house on the ground floor of the building to move with rocks and mud sticking out.
“We lived on the first floor, but the first floor was the worst and the second and third floors were good,” said the resident.
Chan and his family live in a hotel without a home, hoping that negotiations with public works will help restore the damaged home and are seeking compensation.
The day after the landslide, the Department of Land and Urban Construction (DSSCU) will dispatch staff to the building and nearby construction sites to conduct detailed surveys and investigations, and the Office of Public Works (DSP) emergency protection will work.
To stabilize the slope and provide machine access to the bottom, the government will carry out slope integration work and fill it with adjacent private construction sites to ensure the safety of subsequent work executions. We are also carrying out restocking work. We have also started cleaning and sealing the affected areas.
DSSCU claims that the main structure of Ka On Court is still intact and there is no risk of collapse.
According to Lam, households on floors 1A, 2A and 3A of the Kaoncock Building were directly affected, with at least two motorcycles crushed in the building’s parking lot.
Parliamentarians and residents then publicly contacted DSSCU to follow up on the issue through the media on Saturday, and the government called residents in the afternoon to arrange a meeting on Sunday.
“Since the government only allowed residents to attend the meeting, the government decided to deal with the aftermath first after the meeting, such as removing mud and stones from House 2A in the morning and sealing the board in the afternoon. I told me I agreed. The bedrock of 1A is large and will be cleared later. Temporary reinforcement of the slope will be completed as soon as possible. “
DSSUC later stated that as soon as the slope integration worked and the cleaning of the affected area was completed, the repair of the damaged part of the building would be carried out immediately.
However, Mr. Lam said authorities only said that the rehabilitation and repair completion of the exterior walls and common areas would be prioritized.
“There is no answer to the attribution issue and the owner may have to deal with the damages claim himself,” he told MNA.
Around the building, there are two major development projects, a public project for the expansion of Conde S. Januario Hospital and a private housing development project.
The Conde S. Januario Hospital Expansion Project is being carried out by Ming Shun Construction & Property Investment Ltd, which will begin construction in January 2021 and is expected to be completed in April 2023.
Meanwhile, the private housing project will build a 20-meter-high, eight-story building in an area of ​​1,044 square meters in Estrada de San Francisco.
DSSCU and IC emphasized that the original construction had received all the necessary permits, but the construction was suspended due to a landslide.
For damaged old walls, IC has already promised to restore the severely damaged 4th century walls according to their original shape, technique and materials.
