Ilha Verde District Welfare and Mutual Help Association Vice President Chan Fong urged the government to preserve Ilha Verde Hill, which is listed as a cultural heritage site, and to address the area’s safety hazards.
Chan made the remarks when speaking to reporters at the foot of the hill before giving them a guided tour of the hill.
Chan said landslides might occur on one side of the hill facing a recreational area for residents as the soil on that hillside is quite loose.
She then guided reporters to parts of the hill where big piles of rubbish and construction material waste have been dumped. The hill is also surrounded by scrap yards.
“A hill fire may easily occur in such conditions,” Chan said. She pointed out that there are several residential buildings and a school campus right next to the hill, which all could be directly affected if a fire or landslide occurs.
According to Chan, the government has been facing obstacles in the preservation of the hill as it is privately owned, apart from unsettled ownership disputes between several proprietors.
Chan then led reporters to a former convent, which was built about 180 years. Situated in a scrap yard, the building currently serves as a dormitory for workers.
Several stone pillboxes are still standing in good condition in different parts of the hill.
Chan said she hoped the government will communicate with the landowners and begin the long overdue preservation process soon.
Ilha Verde (“Green Island) Hill is 54.5 metres high, the sixth highest in Macau. The island and the peninsula were connected by a causeway in 1895.
(Macau News / The Macau Post Daily)
