Reply:
(c)
Mr President.
(a)
22
it will reconsider giving the residents of the two blocks in Lai King Estate, which are situated ten metres only from the construction site, the option to move into other blocks in Kai King Estate or other estates where the level of noise nuisance is lower?
The Mass Transit Railway Corporation carried out a full Environmental Impact Study to identify potential impacts during construction and operation of the Airport Railway prior to construction. The study report was put to the Advisory Council on the Environment in April 1994 and endorsed.
Among other mitigation measures, the MTRC voluntarily adopted a target daytime construction noise limit of 75 db for noise measured at the nearest sensitive receiver between 7 am and 7 pm from Monday to Saturday excluding General Holidays. These are the hours under the Noise Control Ordinance for which no noise level restrictions have been specified for construction works, except piling work.
At meetings with the Kwai Tsing District Board in March 1994 and the Advisory Council on the Environment in April 1994 and February 1995, the MTRC assured members of their commitment to the undertakings and the mitigation measures recommended in the EIS. In the Finance Committee information note on the Airport Railway [FCRI(94-95)], Members were also informed of the details of the environmental mitigation measures for the Airport Railway.
-
The EIS established comprehensive Environmental Monitoring and Audit Programmes for the MTRC to monitor the environmental impacts of the Airport Railway and the effectiveness of the mitigation measures. In addition, the Environmental Protection Department set up the Environmental Project Office (ENPO) Kwai Chung/Tsing Yi to monitor and audit the cumulative environmental impacts arising from construction activities in the area, including the Airport Railway construction works. ENPO, in addition to reviewing their reports on environmental monitoring data with the MTRC, also conducts regular site inspections and obtains noise level measurements, and takes prompt action when necessary to advise the MTRC to improve the effectiveness The Environmental Protection of mitigation measures in hand. Department and the MTRC have set up telephone hotlines for receiving enquiries and complaints, and site procedures allow virtually immediate response if this is necessary.