Sinkholes shake up Kaohsiung

CONSTRUCTION OBSTRUCTION: Cracked apartment walls and ruptured roads tied to a high-rise building project sparked anger at a mediation session for residents

By Ke Yu-hao and Jason Pan / Staff reporter, with staff writer





Residents near Greater Kaohsiung’s Hansin Business District (漢神商區) yesterday criticized a construction company and local officials for what they described as “evading responsibility,” when collapsing ground damaged roads and buildings in their neighborhood on Sunday evening.

“We see these hazards keep happening, putting our lives and property at risk. Who would dare to live here in such conditions?” one resident asked at a mediation meeting held yesterday.

Others in attendance demanded that Shing Tzung Development Co, the contractor for a building project thought to be responsible for the cave-ins, and the local government fix the problems.

An engineer from the Greater Kaohsiung Public Works Bureau carries cameras to survey structural damage to buildings yesterday after more than 100 residents were evacuated when parts of the buildings collapsed and walls started cracking in Greater Kaohsiung on Sunday evening. Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times

The project in question is a 26-story high-rise at the intersection of Zhichiang 3rd Rd and Youth Road, near the Hanshin Department Store in downtown Kaohsiung.

Since work started last year, three serious accidents that endangered public safety have occurred. The latest came on Sunday, as the ground collapsed and roads buckled. A section of 25 houses were affected, with cracks appearing on walls and one entire building tilting to its side.

The Greater Kaohsiung Government evacuated 133 households in the neighborhood on Sunday night. However, the fractures on the buildings and on the road kept growing, as the tilted building continued to list, so a wider area was cordoned off yesterday.

The Greater Kaohsiung Government Building Administration called on licensed civil engineers to survey the neighborhood yesterday and to assess the various dangers.

At the mediation meeting, upset residents vented their anger at the contractor, saying that they did not see the company installing the promised structural reinforcements after a previous incident last month and that they were furious that the cave-ins keep happening.

Huang Chih-ming (黃志明), head of the administration, said actions have been taken, with the fire department pouring water around the construction site to saturate the ground and to balance the subsurface hydrostatic equilibrium.

“The construction company will use ground-penetrating radar to detect whether there are other loosened or collapsed pockets underground,” he said.

“Right now we have about 3,600 active construction sites in Kaohsiung. Shing Tzung is not the only company having problems. The government will shoulder the responsibility for monitoring safety at these worksites. Saving people’s lives is our No. 1 priority. Afterward, we will convene public hearings to listen to local residents,” he said.

Shing Tzung manager Chen Fu-chiang (陳富強) said his company would pay for one month of hotel accommodation for the evacuated residents to solve their urgent need for housing.

“Our company will take responsibility for the moving arrangements and accommodation for the residents. If the tilted building is in danger and no longer safe to live in, we will construct a new building on-site for residents. For other households, we will bear all the costs of repair and financial compensation, with the details to be negotiated later on,” Chen said.

As Typhoon Matmo looms, residents were worried about the collapse of their houses in case of heavy rain and flooding. The local government and the construction company said they have people on-site to monitor the situation closely.