It would be a pity if specific problems facing some of the major tunnelling projects in the eastern Asia area were to lead to overall cutbacks in schemes. The difficulties which have faced the first phase of Hong Kong’s sewerage project for example may lead to cancellation of the follow on stages.
Though this might please the environmentalists, and might in the circumstances be a feasible, and even a good answer to the population’s needs, it would also represent a set back for tunnelling as a solution for modern large scale infrastructure needs in big cities like this. Small scale schemes could possibly fill in the gaps and might in themselves create some tunnelling work but they do not make full use of the potential that well designed large scale tunnels can bring.
The re-think in Hong Kong may be limited to this particular scheme which has had very great geological difficulties. Certainly as we see on page 23 the community there remains in general enthusiastic about tunnels and a large number of projects are being contemplated for the next decade.
But another problem is in the wings. Despite some major positive economic growth progress since the Asian currency collapses in 1997, there is still a long way to go in recovering pre-1997 circumstances. Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are on the up but Indonesia is wracked with turmoil. And the powerhouse of the region Japan continues to experience body blows to its economy, the most recent being collapse of the $27bn Chiyoda Mutual Insurance, a long way from tunnels perhaps but not helping overall confidence.
Hong Kong, and behind it on a larger scale China, has been willing to spend public funds to maintain economic momentum despite the Asian crisis and this has had a beneficial effect on infrastructure projects including tunnelling. Singapore too has always filled in the private sector downturns with government money and is spending on projects at present including its own deep sewer as we report this month also.
Taiwan is also using tunnelling to the full on several now developing schemes for highways and high speed rail, and also for water transfer.
To some extent Japan has also done so and it may be that the government there sees it as a method to battle with its problems, using undoubted large surplus funds to boost the flagging economy. Where money has been spent it has produced interesting projects and with them interesting new techniques in machine building and so on as we also touch on this month.
There is plenty more to be done and tunnels should be one of the main solutions.