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THE ENVIRONMENT

In 1994, the Advisory Council on the Environment played a more active role in reviewing EIA studies. A sub-committee on EIA was formed in January to advise the council on selected EIA studies. A number of major studies have been reviewed by the sub-committee, including EIAs for the Kau Sai Chau golf course, the extension to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Tuen Mun port development, and a new steel mill in Tuen Mun.

In line with the government's move to be more open and accountable, it has been a requirement for government-owned EIA reports to be made available to the public since 1992. The private sector is encouraged to adopt the same approach. In 1994, the Environmental Protection Department began issuing a list of EIA reports completed every quarter. The public can inspect government-owned EIA reports at relevant district offices, public reference libraries of the Urban and Regional Councils, the library of the Office of Members of the Legislative Council and the headquarters of the Home Affairs Department. Pollution does not respect boundaries. Protecting Hong Kong's environment therefore requires co-ordination and collaboration with the environmental protection authorities across the border, to tackle trans-boundary environmental problems. During the year under review, a new milestone was reached when an EIA study was jointly commissioned by the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Governments to assess the environmental implications of the Shenzhen River Regulation Project. The study was undertaken jointly by Chinese specialists and an international EIA consultancy firm based in Hong Kong.

Another focus was to promote the concept and practice of environmental audits among government departments and private companies as a tool to achieve better environ- mental performance. Advice was given on two pilot environmental audits for government departments.

Airport Core Programme Projects

The Airport Core Programme (ACP) projects are forging ahead, presenting enormous environmental challenges. All ACP projects have been the subject of comprehensive EIA studies. The outcome has been a comprehensive package of environmental protection measures incorporated at the planning stage.

Measures drawn up in the early design stage to combat the future operational noise from various projects related to the Port and Airport Development Strategy have started to take shape. The detailed design of 7.5 kilometres of roadside noise barriers identified for Route 3 and the West Kowloon and North Lantau Expressways has begun. Work has also commenced on providing noise insulation for about 3 000 homes which, it is predicted, would otherwise be adversely affected by traffic noise from the Western Harbour Crossing. The design of noise mitigation measures identified in the airport railway EIA study, including resilient track mountings, station covers, rail enclosures and trackside barriers totalling up to 16 kilometres, is also at an advanced stage.

After the completion of the EIA studies, there was a strong demand from the public for closer monitoring of the implementation of these projects and for following through on measures recommended in the EIAS. In 1994, environmental monitoring and audit programmes were put in place for all ACP projects to track and reduce pollution caused, to meet relevant criteria. Key measures that have been put in place include acoustic insulation for villagers in Sha Lo Wan affected by the construction of the airport reclamation at