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Sinkhole, leaks and flooding plague construction of Hong Kong’s troubled West Kowloon Cultural District
- Authority that manages site admits to sinkhole 25 metres wide and flooding as deep as 2 metres – but dismisses safety concerns
- Building problems add more uncertainty to multibillion-dollar project long plagued by cost overruns and controversy
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Cracks in a cofferdam have caused flooding, tilted structures and a sinkhole at the construction site of Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District, a “serious” problem that could add more uncertainty to a multibillion-dollar project plagued by cost overruns and controversy.
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Photos taken on Thursday showed evidence of leakage from the cracks and signs of subsidence on the building site that sits on land reclaimed from Victoria Harbour. Several cargo containers and buildings leaned at awkward angles and there was a sinkhole 25 metres wide. A cofferdam is a watertight enclosure that allows builders to work below the waterline.
The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, which manages the site, said it was aware of flooding at the construction site of the Lyric Theatre Complex, as well as a large basement area linking several planned performing venues.
An authority statement said: “A pipe-pile cofferdam wall sprang a leak at the southeast corner in the early morning of July 25, 2019, leading to flooding to a depth of 1½ to 2 metres into the excavated site.
“As a result of this breach to the cofferdam, a shallow sinkhole of around 25 metres in diameter emerged adjacent to the site within the project area.”
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