Government says four centimeter building crack not abnormal

The Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) has indicated that there is no abnormality in the building where a gaping four centimeter-wide crack suddenly appeared.
Recently, residents of Mei Lok Garden, a 33-year-old government-sponsored house located in the Ilha Verde area, have been complaining about various cracks suddenly appearing on the building.
There are cracks on the rooftop and on the façade of the building, as well as in hallways and on ceilings of certain houses.
The biggest crack is as wide as four centimeters, visibly marking a line on the external wall of one side of the building.
According to building residents, the cracks started appearing only after construction work had started at a nearby land plot. The construction company in question is building the premises for the fire services department.
The DSSOPT, the department responsible for the matter, had a meeting with representatives of the building in order to explain the causes of the fissures. Despite them being large-scale and abundant and only appearing recently, the DSSOPT argued that the cracks had been intentionally constructed when the building was built back in 1987.
The bureau claims that these fissures constitute expansion joints (EJ), the primary function of which is to allow expanded movement in the longitudinal direction. The relatively large joint width makes an EJ more vulnerable to peeling damage. JZ