OUTLINE

Day 1: Knowledge-based Slope Safety Management

The seminar aims at sharing the experience of slope safety management in Hong Kong, in which knowledge development has played an important role.  It will cover the following topics:

(a)Slope safety management in Hong Kong
(b)Learning from landslides
(c)The intriguing behaviour of pre-war masonry retaining walls in Hong Kong and extending the knowledge to structural behaviour of gabions
(d)Priority classification systems for retrofitting sub-standard slopes and landslide warning systems
(e)Thoughts on the nature of geotechnical knowledge and it management

If time permits, observations by the speaker on ground behaviour at Penang will be shared.


Day 2: Buffer Guidelines for Hillsite Development

The buffer guidelines for hillsite development has always been a challenging task for developers to comply and manage a viable development. Guidelines also vary within the government agencies.
The forum on the buffer guidelines will cover the following areas:

(a)The rationale for the development of the current guidelines developed by various agencies
(b)The comparison of the available local guidelines and the impact on the hillsite development planning
(c)The shortcomings on the current local guidelines and the proposed improvement to them to make the guidelines more practical
(d)Comparison of the existing guidelines to the similar guidelines particularly the Hong Kong practice
(e)Development of a uniform guideline for the country
(f)Any other relevant issues related to the buffer guidelines.


DAY 1: SEMINAR ON KNOWLEDGE-BASED SLOPE SAFETY MANAGEMENT
Monday, 9th January 2017

Presenter: Ir. Chan Yun Cheung
(Former Head of GEO, Hong Kong)

Ir. YC Chan is formerly Head of Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO), Civil Engineering and Development Department of Hong Kong.  He graduated in 1975 from the University of Hong Kong with a BSc in Civil Engineering.  He was awarded an MSc in Engineering Geology from the Imperial College of Science of Technology of London in 1981.  Ir. Chan received training in the public works department upon graduation and settled down in GEO in 1980.  He had since worked for over thirty years in the GEO, starting from the rank of geotechnical engineer.  During this time, he witnessed first-hand and took part in the development and implementation of the holistic slope safety management system in Hong Kong that have enhanced public safety significantly.  Ir. Chan is a Registered Engineer of the Civil, Geotechnical and Structural disciplines in Hong Kong.


DAY 2: FORUM ON BUFFER GUIDELINES FOR HILLSITE DEVELOPMENT
Tuesday, 10th January 2017

Equivalence of the Buffer Zone Guidelines in Hong Kong
Ir. Chan Yun Cheung (Former Head of GEO, Hong Kong)
Ir. YC Chan will speak on the equivalence of the buffer zone guidelines in Hong Kong, and the basis for such.

Comparison of Buffer Guidelines in Malaysia
Ir. EG Balakrishnan (GETD, IEM, Malaysia)
Ir. Bala will discuss all the available buffer guidelines and the implications on the hillsite developments. He will also discuss on the possible amendments to the present guidelines considering some flexibility for the viable hillsite developments without compromising on the safety.

Inclusion of Social Input in Buffer Guidelines
Ir. Hj. Zainal Arshad bin Mohd Amin (Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR), Malaysia)
Currently slope development decisions are based on technical parameters. There are no social parameters driving these decisions, although impacts of slope failure are often experienced by members of society. This presentation serves as a step towards inclusion of social input. The public perception, expectation and tolerability of landslide risk in Malaysia for enhancing the Government understanding of public attitudes towards landslide risk and facilitating landslide risk management and policy decision making.

Geological Input for Determination of Buffer
En. Zamri Ramli (Jabatan Mineral & Geosains (JMG), Malaysia)
He will discuss all the geological input used in the buffer determination and the challenges.

Hillside Development and Its Challenges
En. Mohd Taufik bin Haron (IKRAM, Malaysia)
In this topic, he will deeply touched on current phenomena on hillside development and how to tackle those development issues including buffer zones issues and other related technical issues.

Considerations for Hill Slopes with Some References to Experiences in Penang
Ir. Dr Chin Yaw Ming
Dr Chin Yaw Ming is a geotechnical and foundation specialist with about 25 years of comprehensive technical knowledge on deep excavation & heavy foundation as well as hillsite development. He graduated from Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia with a Bachelor of Engineering, a Master of Engineering and a Doctor of Philosophy. Currently, he is a principal of Cym Consult, a geotechnical consultancy firm. He is also an advisor to the Geotechnical Consultancy Unit of Penang Island City Council where he is regularly involved with the hillsite developments on Penang Island.