THE ENVIRONMENT
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landfills for the disposal of waste. The Agriculture and Fisheries Department undertakes the demolition of disused, polluted agricultural weirs, carries out the cleansing and desilting of polluted irrigation weir sites together with the operation and maintenance of departmental farm waste treatment facilities. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department operates refuse incinerators, while the Marine Department clears floating refuse and enforces legislative control over oil spills.
Planning against Pollution
The objectives of environmental planning in Hong Kong are to avoid new environmental problems by ensuring that the environmental consequences of new developments are taken into account in site selection, planning, design and implementation; to introduce environmental improvements whenever opportunities arise in the course of urban re- development, and to safeguard against inappropriate encroachment of urban development into rural areas. To achieve these, environmental planning activities are undertaken and co-ordinated at the strategic, district and project levels. During the year, considerable effort went into promoting environmental interests in the conceptual and strategic planning stage for major territorial and regional developments. At the district and local planning levels, efforts were made to ensure that the environmental consequences of development options are fully understood by the decision makers. Individual projects with potential environmental impacts, such as major road schemes, are thoroughly assessed to ensure that they are located, designed, built and operated as far as possible in an environmentally acceptable manner.
Following completion of a number of major strategic planning exercises in 1990, including the Port and Airport Development Strategy (PADS) and Metroplan, the focus of environmental planning in 1991 shifted towards the detailed environmental impact assessment of individual projects associated with these strategic plans.
Environmental assessment work on the airport project was completed in 1991. The choice of site for the new airport at Chek Lap Kok proved to be the best option from an environmental point of view. Environmental studies showed that unacceptable aircraft noise impacts on the population can be avoided, and that the reclamation can be carried out without serious effects on the marine environment. Inevitably, the levelling of Chek Lap Kok and future use of the shoreline along north Lantau Island will lead to loss of ecological resources and attractive natural environment; however, appropriate measures to minimise these losses have been identified.
Major environmental impact assessment studies on a number of other key PADS projects were completed, including the North Lantau New Town development, the West Kowloon reclamation, and various elements of the new road and rail network that will ultimately link Hong Kong Island and Kowloon to the new airport.
Potential problems were identified in the West Kowloon reclamation project that provides land for road and rail links to the new airport and for other developments. Avoidance of unacceptable environmental consequences will require careful land-use planning and implementation of appropriate mitigating pollution control measures such as the use of noise barriers and interception of wastewaters. The project will cause some residual impacts during the construction phase such as relatively high day-time noise levels and poor water quality in several areas on a short term basis, but will result in long-term environmental improvements and economic benefits.