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Managing the Uncertainties of Natural Terrain Landslides and Extreme Rainfall in Hong Kong

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Landslide Science and Practice

Abstract

Much knowledge has been accrued over the years regarding landslide triggers, failure mechanisms and debris movement mechanics. In addition, technical frameworks for hazard and risk assessments have been developed for practical use. However, there remain considerable uncertainties in respect of natural terrain landslide assessment and design of risk mitigation measures. The need to consider the impact of climate change further complicates the issue given the fuzziness of the state of the art in this area. The main problems relate to knowledge gaps and potential errors in engineering judgement.

In this paper, the key uncertainties associated with natural terrain landslides and adverse effects of climate change, together with difficulties faced by the geotechnical profession, are highlighted. The strategy and approaches that may be adopted to manage these uncertainties are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This paper is published with the permission of the Head of the Geotechnical Engineering Office and the Director of Civil Engineering and Development, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Many GEO colleagues have made significant contributions over the years on various studies relating to natural terrain landslide risk management. These include HN Wong, Julian Kwan, Florence Ko, HW Sun, Rod Sewell and YM Sin. All contributions are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geotechnical Engineering Office, Civil Engineering and Development Department, Hong Kong SAR Government, 101 Princess Margaret Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    K. K. S. Ho

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  1. K. K. S. Ho
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Correspondence to K. K. S. Ho .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Geological Survey of Italy, ISPRA - Italian Institute for Environmen, Rome, Italy

    Claudio Margottini

  2. ICL - International Consortium on Landsl, Florence, Italy

    Paolo Canuti

  3. Kyoto University Uji-Campus, Uji, Kyoto, Japan

    Kyoji Sassa

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Ho, K.K.S. (2013). Managing the Uncertainties of Natural Terrain Landslides and Extreme Rainfall in Hong Kong. In: Margottini, C., Canuti, P., Sassa, K. (eds) Landslide Science and Practice. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-31319-6_39

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