Report No. : -

Report Title : Layman's Guide to Slope Maintenance, Fourth Edition (2026), 61 p.

Author : Geotechnical Engineering Office

Abstract

All man-made slopes, retaining walls and natural terrain hazard mitigation measures (hereafter referred to as "mitigation measures", e.g. rigid barriers and flexible barriers) need regular maintenance, including those designed and constructed to acceptable standards. Under the climatic conditions of Hong Kong, slopes, retaining walls or mitigation measures that are not properly maintained will deteriorate with time and may become unstable and prone to collapse, causing injuries to persons, damages to properties and disruptions to normal life. These incidents will cause suffering to the public, and property owners may also incur significant expenses to repair the collapsed slopes, retaining walls or mitigation measures.

This document tells the general public how to maintain man-made slopes, retaining walls and mitigation measures. It will be particularly useful to property owners, owners' associations and property managers. The first edition of this document was published in 1995. In response to the newly added guidelines on maintaining mitigation measures published in the Guide to Slope Maintenance (Geoguide 5), we have made the corresponding revisions to this edition of Layman's Guide.

For more detailed guidance on slope maintenance, readers may refer to the Guide to Slope Maintenance (Geoguide 5) published by the Geotechnical Engineering Office.

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