ABSTRACT
A comprehensive Slope Safety System has been implemented by the Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO) to manage the landslide risk in Hong Kong. The system has generally proved to be effective in coping with the prevailing landslide problems. However, the more frequent occurrences of extreme rainfall causing serious landslides and major casualties in different parts of the world in recent years have highlighted the impact of extreme rainfall on the community and concerns about the possible effect of climate change on slope safety. The impact of extreme rainfall poses new challenges which need to be addressed from a strategy, policy and technical perspective, as the number, scale and mobility of the corresponding landslides could be unprecedented. To manage the new challenges, a systematic approach was adopted by the GEO to (a) take stock of the relevant climate change studies, (b) identify the nature and scale of the credible extreme landslide events, (c) assess the severity of landslide consequences, (d) evaluate the capacity of emergency management, and (e) examine the scope for improving crisis preparedness as well as system and community resilience. The preliminary findings are presented in this report.
