ENG-1993 — Page 449

THE ENVIRONMENT

At the same time, the government has implemented energy efficiency programmes to reduce the use of energy. Such efforts will help conserve non-renewable energy resources and mitigate human impact on climate change.

Marine Borrow and Dumping Areas

The construction of the new airport requires 170 million cubic metres of marine fill and 134 million cubic metres of land-based fill. A total of 4.9 million and 139 million cubic metres of contaminated and uncontaminated mud, respectively, will require disposal. These huge quantities pose an immense challenge.

An EIA study on the South Mirs Bay borrow area showed that an unacceptable environmental impact and significant economic loss would be incurred by the fishing and mariculture industries from dredging in that area. As a result, the proposed dredging in South Mirs Bay and Ching Chau were cancelled by the government's Fill Management Committee.

The EIA study on the East Lamma Channel, completed in 1993, also indicated dredging would result in significant adverse effects on gazetted beaches, mariculture zones, capture fisheries and corals. The results led the government to significantly reduce the area of dredging to about half the original size, and to impose stringent controls and monitoring requirements on the proponent and contractors using the borrow area.

There was considerable professional and public concern about dredged mud. The disposal of contaminated mud at East Sha Chau was a case in point. To prevent adverse effects, the mud disposal would need to be controlled by using environmentally acceptable mud disposal methods and sealing the pit with suitable materials after it reaches the designed capacity. Active and full-time pit management, and intensive environmental monitoring would also be required.

Rural Developments

Under the Rural Planning and Improvement Strategy, the government is committed to improving the quality of life in rural areas. The strategy has moved forward, with efforts to terminate thousands of polluting short-term land uses. Village sewage improvement schemes have also been carried out in the rural areas of the New Territories.

As a result of the revision of the livestock waste control scheme, anyone wishing to keep livestock has to apply for a licence. This provides a powerful planning tool to ensure environmental compatibility with other planned or prevailing land uses.

Hazardous Installations

The government's risk management policy on potentially hazardous installations (PHIS) is to minimise risks to the public by requiring the PHIS to be constructed and operated to the highest standards and by controlling the land use within their vicinity. In 1988, the government introduced a set of Interim Risk Guidelines to determine the acceptability of risk associated with a PHI. The guidelines were formally adopted in 1993, and will be incorporated into the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines in 1994. An 'as low as reasonably practicable' principle was introduced into the guidelines to ensure implemen- tation of all risk reduction measures which are practicable and cost-effective. The Hong Kong Risk Guidelines now limit public risks from PHIs to levels which are comparable with the most stringent international standards.

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