THE ENVIRONMENT
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and has three purposes. First, it identifies the need for any special environmental protection conditions in licence or contract documents for the project. Second, the review determines the extent of problems relating to key environmental issues. Finally, it identifies environ- mental impacts which are so complex or severe that they need a detailed and qualitative environmental impact assessment (EIA).
Government procedures require an environmental review of each project in the Public Works Programme before authorisation is given for detailed design. During the past year, reviews of government projects have led to requirements for full EIAs to be undertaken on four projects. One project is a strategic landfill site for the disposal of refuse in the south-east New Territories. Another is a modern facility for the compaction and trans- shipment of refuse in urban Kowloon. A third involves a large sewerage system, sewage treatment and disposal scheme in the north-west New Territories and the fourth is a facility to dispose of chemical wastes, including hazardous and potentially toxic material.
An environmental assessment can be required for private sector projects as a condition in the land grant lease.
Over the past year, EIAs have been undertaken to assess proposals for the disposal of pulverised fuel ash (PFA) on Lamma Island and for a bulk chemical storage facility in Junk Bay.
It is not always possible to follow this pattern because the demand for land for development in Hong Kong is so great that the government sometimes has to consider temporary (or even permanent) land use which does not conform to the ideal embodied in statutory or outline development plans. In such cases the risk of environmental conflict is high. The Environmental Protection Department has had increased participation on steering-groups and technical working groups of all major landuse-transport planning studies conducted either directly by the government or through consultants. This is important to ensure that appropriate environmental objectives are being incorporated in the planning stage and are given due consideration in the eventual recommendations.
A recent case illustrates the need for care and shows how the review process can prevent future environmental problems. The owner of a site in Kwai Chung between an industrial area and an old public housing estate applied for an exchange to permit high-rise redevelopment. Having reviewed the situation, EPD was of the view that residential use would be adversely affected by the adjacent factories. On the other hand, industrial use could adversely affect the needed redevelopment of the old estate tenement blocks. An open space buffer would not generate land revenue. Fortunately, a suggested godown develop- ment, with the loading area on the industrial side, proved acceptable to all parties concerned.
In planning at all levels, the EPD is now equipped to provide a detailed assessment of, and advice on, environmental issues. Computer models are used extensively for predicting the dispersion of pollutants that may be emitted into the atmosphere or discharged into local waters as a result of planned new developments. The outputs from these models assume great importance when planning developments in such a way as to minimise the likelihood of future environmental problems arising. Similarly, planning against noise impacts from industry, commerce and transport, through the use of acoustic models, is leading to a much improved noise climate for many new schools, hospitals and housing
estates.
Finally, environmental planning is greatly assisted by increasing public awareness. Over the past year, numerous environmental publicity campaigns have aided in educating the public on environmental matters. A complaints hotline was established this year to provide