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A legislator says not enough is being done to ensure the safety of older buildings

In a written submission to the government, lawmaker Ron Lam speaks of ‘situations of plaster coming off, windows falling, injuries, [and] damage to vehicles’ caused by older buildings.

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In a written submission to the government, lawmaker Ron Lam speaks of ‘situations of plaster coming off, windows falling, injuries, [and] damage to vehicles’ caused by older buildings.

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PUBLISHED

UPDATED: 21 Dec 2023, 11:33 pm

There are at least 3 buildings in Macao in danger of collapsing, 19 in a highly dilapidated state and nearly 90 “in a poor condition”, according to Lai Weng Leong, the head of the Land and Urban Construction Bureau.

The official was replying to a written question from legislator Ron Lam. The newspaper Hoje Macau reports that, since 2017, the government has issued around 600 notifications to building owners regarding poor maintenance.

According to Hoje Macau, Lam took the government to task for failing to prevent “situations of plaster coming off, windows falling, injuries, [and] damage to vehicles”, saying that such incidents  remained “frequent due to lack of maintenance of buildings”.

[See more: Non-residents will be allowed to work as construction safety officers in Macao]

The safety of older buildings, particularly on the Macao peninsula, has been an issue for some years. 

In December 2020, the Legislative Assembly passed a government-initiated bill mandating fines for building owners who fail to carry out the necessary maintenance or repair work in contradiction of official orders.

The bill also stipulated that building contractors be required to guarantee the foundations and main structure of a building for 10 years.

 

UPDATED: 21 Dec 2023, 11:33 pm

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