Commemorative Campaign on “Remembrance and Reflection: 50 years after the Tragic Landslides on 18 June 1972” reminds public on landslide history
The 6.18 Disaster, which took place on 18 June 1972, made it the darkest day in the history of landslide in Hong Kong. Heavy rain was falling continually between 16 and 18 June 1972 with a 3-day total rainfall of 652mm, which was the second highest on record at that time. Tragedies struck one after another. Natural disaster makes no distinction between rich and poor. The greatest damage was done in Sau Mau Ping in eastern Kowloon and at Kotewall Road in Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Island.
In the afternoon of 18 June 1972, a fill slope supporting Hiu Kwong Street of Sau Mau Ping collapsed after days of heavy rain. Immeasurable tons of landslide debris washed down, destroying 78 squatter huts of the resettlement area (Photo 1) and buried the people inside. The landslide killed 71 people at last.
At around 9 pm on the same day, on Hong Kong Island, a landslide happened on the natural slope above Po Shan Road in the Mid-Levels. The landslide debris gathered momentum when washing down, and struck the 12-storey Kotewall Court and a six-storey house, causing both to collapse completely (Photo 2). The landslide shattered numerous homes and took away 67 lives.
Year 2022 marks the passage of five decades of these two tragic landslides. To provide the public an opportunity to recollect the history of the two landslides, the GEO has launched a series of public education activities including thematic exhibitions, school visits, production of a thematic video and guided tours to the "Po Shan Drainage Tunnel - Landslide Sci-Tech Chamber". These activities aim at raising public awareness of slope safety in Hong Kong, and alerting them to stay vigilant of the increasing landslide risk due to climate change and extreme rainstorms.
The GEO is holding a thematic exhibition on "Remembrance and Reflection: 50 years after the Tragic Landslides on 18 June 1972" at F Hall Studio, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central, from 3 June to 6 June (Photo 3). The office will also hold a similar exhibition from 24 June to 27 June at Atrium on the Level 1 of MCP Central, Po Lam.
In the exhibition at Tai Kwun (Photo 4), there are also a 4D landslide virtual reality experience zone (Photo 5), a STEM corner "Smart Sandbox – Intercepting Landslide with a Rigid Barrier" (Photo 6) and a workshop on making "Kokedama" (Photo 7) for the public to create hand-crafted souvenirs. Admission is free. All are welcome. Please refer the details of the thematic exhibition in the poster (Photo 8).
