Residents slam gov’t for slow action on Guia Hill landslide warnings

Residents of the neighborhood where last Thursday’s Guia Hill landslide happened have criticized the Government for not heeding their warnings that such an incident could occur.

The landslide took place behind the public hospital’s future infectious disease building, where construction was underway.

Residents of carparks and apartments on lower floors of nearby residential buildings, such as Ka On Court, complained about the Government’s lack of action on earlier reports filed by these residents.

Residents have complained about the possibility of a landslide or other accidents amid the constructions of the future medical building. The larger site of this landslide is a triangle consisting of the future medical facility, a private residential development, and several existing residential buildings.

Within this larger site is an approximately four-century-old city wall, which is a legally accredited and cataloged relic.

Complaints had been filed with the government by nearby residents about the potential hazards of a landslide, but residents were assured that no problem would arise.

Complainants have also reported muddy water and water leakage from the construction sites to nearby buildings, but said that the government had done nothing to address these issues.

They suggested that the landslide could have been avoided.

Pictures released show that a first-floor apartment wall that faces the hillside was destroyed, and the impacted room was filled with mud.

Amid residents’ complaints about slow prevention and reaction to the incident, lawmaker Ron Lam criticised the Land and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU) for evading its responsibilities. He added that the government should have issued an emergency response.

Lam Iek Chit, urban planner and member of the Cultural Heritage Committee, called for  the government to rigorously investigate the cause of the landslide, according to a report by local media outlet All About Macau.