Five Lantau beaches added to priority cleanup list

Five more South Lantau beaches to the government’s priority foreshore cleaning roster.

From now on Cheung Sha, Tong Fuk, Shap Long, Ham Tin and Tai Long Wan are among 29 beaches that will be serviced by Marine Department cleaners.

Pui O, Fan Lau and Tai O on Lantau’s south and western coast, and Sam Pak Wan and Nim Shue Wan near Discovery Bay, were already on the list.

The Environmental Protection Department updated the list of coastal sites based on “factors including cleanliness, the amount of refuse collected, cleaning frequency, geographical and hydrodynamic conditions, public accessibility, ecological value and concerns raised by the public,” a government statement said.

A dozen beaches were dropped list because of “sustained improvements in their cleanliness,” the statement said.

South Lantau residents organised multiple beach cleanup operations last year after two typhoons and a palm oil spill.

Cleanup operations on the priority beaches have increased 50% since the list was created two years ago, the government says.

It says Hong Kong is now working with 13 cities in the Pearl River catchment to monitor real-time rainfall data to help predict which beaches might be hit with heavy volumes of marine rubbish.

A notification system has been activated seven times.

The Marine Department’s contractor has been operating 80 scavenging vessels to clean up floating refuse in Hong Kong waters since October.

The contractor’s fleet includes six new quick response workboats and two scavenging catamarans equipped with mechanical devices to increase the efficiency of clean-up operation in narrow water channels and to enhance scavenging service in offshore waters. In addition, the number of foreshore cleaning teams has been increased from two to three in order to step up efforts in cleaning up the foreshore areas.

Pui O wetland: EPD still can’t work out if law was broken

Nearly two months after recording unauthorised dumping on a wetland site, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) says it is still not certain if any law has been broken.

In a letter to local residents today, an EPD staff said officials were investigating the case “and would take enforcement action if there is sufficient evidence of violation of the Waste Disposal Ordinance (WDO).”

Yet at a meeting at the Pui O site on December 29, EPD officials advised that the CCTV had caught unauthorised dumping on the site between November 20 and 23.

Under the WDO, owners of Coastal Protection Area sites like this one must apply for an ‘acknowlegement’ from the EPD if they wish to carry out landfilling.

Local activists point out that dumping before receiving ‘acknowledgement’ from the EPD is a clear breach of the law.

They also say the EPD should have stayed the application pending the outcome of a judicial review into the department’s handling of dumping and landfilling, also at a Pui O site.

Additionally, the landowner has applied to the Town Planning Board to change the use to ‘agricultural’, yet has since built a brick wall around the site.

Paul Zimmerman, CEO of Designing Hong Kong, said the problem is that EPD is “limiting itself to the WDO rather than protecting land reserved for conservation purposes.”

The landfilling, and the inability of the EPD to stop it, flies in the face of the government’s own policy.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam referred to the importance of the Pui O wetland in her September policy address. The wetland, an important buffalo habitat, is also designated for protection under the Sustainable Lantau Blueprint.

The Sustainable Lantau Office met with other departments, including the EPD, the Planning Department and the police, last week work up a plan to stop trucks dumping construction waste on Pui O.

But that seems too little too late, and addresses only one of many reasons for Pui O’s disappearing wetland.

The years of lax enforcement by the EPD means landowners see no impediment to turning their wetland sites into other more profitable uses. Precedent is on their side.

The only option is a long-term solution. A land-swap, given the large number of owners, would take years, decades even.

The only solution is for the government to buy the wetland plots.

Aquisition of the wetland to protect the habitat, the buffalo and the local tourist economy would cost millions, but it is just a snip compared to the tens of billions taxpayers have laid out for cost overruns on dubious public works.

It would also demonstrate – to itself and the public – that the government believes in its own policies.

N. Lantau Highway traffic up 40% over four years

North Lantau Highway traffic has increased by more than two-fifths in recent years, according to Transport Department (TD) figures.

The department believes the freeway has enough capacity to cope with extra vehicles brought by major new projects on North Lantau, such as the HZM Bridge and the Tung Chung expansion.

However, Transport and Housing Secretary, Frank Chan, acknowledged in a reply to Legco yesterday that the department had not done any analysis of major roads in central Tung Chung.

The TD had forecast that the volume to capacity ratio of North Lantau Highway during peak hours in 2021 would be about 0.7 and that the traffic flow would not be saturated, Chan said.

TD figures show that morning airport-bound traffic on the freeway averaged 3,750 vehicles an hour in 2016, up 41% over the 2012 level. Afternoon Kowloon-bound traffic had also registered a significant increase over the period, up 41% to 3,500 vehicles an hour.

But vehicle numbers on Shun Tung Road, the major approach from Tung Chung to the airport, grew by as much as 31% over the 2012-16 period.

However, the department had made no forecast on traffic growth on Shun Tung Road or adjacent Tat Tung Road, Chan said.

Traffic growth (Source: Transport Department)

Holden Chow, local member of both Legco and the Islands District Council, said residents had expressed concern that major expansion projects would make local traffic congestion even worse.

Chan said that for future North Lantau projects the government would require traffic impact assessments and mitigation proposals to ensure the transport infrastructure could cope with the additional traffic flow.

He said the Civil Engineering and Development Department is currently conducting a study into Lantau’s transport infrastructure and services. It is expected to report in early 2019.

Following the release of the Hong Kong 2030+ plan, the Transport and Highway departments would carry out an assessment of railways and major roads for 2031 and beyond.

Photo (top): tksteven via Wikimedia Commons

Tung Chung facing more hazardous air over weekend

After pollution readings reached dangerous levels yesterday, Tung Chung is facing further hazardous air over the weekend – unless rain can clear the skies.

Readings from both the World Air Quality Index, also known as AQICN, and the Hong Kong government Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) hit hazardous levels yesterday.

Tung Chung recorded on the AQICN chart of ‘very unhealthy’ for four hours, which it describes as ‘emergency conditions’ in which all people are urged to stay indoors.

The AQHI showed Tung Chung reaching the ‘serious’ level, for six hours up to 7pm yesterday evening – one of six locations around Hong Kong to do so.

Tung Chung air, Wednesday (AQHI)

AQICN says that while today is likely to be merely ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups,’ it predicts extended periods of ‘unhealthy or very unhealthy’ over the weekend and Monday.

More bad air (AQICN)

The AQHI forecast is for “low to very high” risk today.

In a statement issued 11am yesterday EPD called on children and elderly to stay indoors and for the general public to avoid strenuous outdoor activity:

Higher than normal levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulates have been recorded in the territory since early this morning. Hong Kong is being affected by an airstream with higher background pollutant concentrations. In addition, light wind hinders effective dispersion of air pollutants. Sunshine enhances photochemical smog activity and the formation of ozone and fine particulates, resulting in today’s high pollution in the vicinity of Hong Kong. The high level of ozone has promoted the formation of nitrogen dioxide, particularly in parts of the urban areas and at the roadside.

However, it noted that the pollution levels could ease with the rain patches predicted for Friday.

At 9:30am Tung Chung air was rated moderate on the AQICN index.

Earlier this week the EPD released data that showed the number of unhealthy air days last year had nearly doubled over 2016. The department attributed this to warmer weather and lower cloud cover, making it easier for ozone.

Man, 20, dies in Yat Tung tower fall

A 20-year-old man has died after falling from the Ching Yat building in Yat Tung early Sunday morning.

The man, surnamed Chan, lived with his family in the building, Apple Daily reported.

His mother, 59, was later admitted to North Lantau Hospital for observation.

Police are investigating the causes of the death, an apparent suicide.

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HK-Macau bridge tipped to open in May

The scandal-plagued Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge is due to open in May, according to mainland media.

The bridge, which will cost Hong Kong taxpayers more than HK$120 billion, has been delayed by a series of problems since construction began in 2009, including shifting pilings in the founations, accidents that have killed ten workers and a scandal over falsification of test records.

The China Daily reported that the final commissioning date would depend on the completion of border facilities in Zhuhai and Hong Kong, but unnamed sources expect it to open in May.

The project includes a 29.6km main bridge, including a 6.7km tunnel which surfaces a kilometre off north-west Lantau, a 5km-long viaduct link to the border crossing at Chek Lap Kok, the facilities at reclamation at the border, and a 9km freeway and subsea tunnel connection to Tuen Mun.

The main bridge, originally expected to cost 15 billion yuan, went 60% over budget.

Envisaged in the early 2000s, supporters of the bridge today struggle to identify the economic return it will deliver for the enormous cost.

In recent months government officials have taken to describing it as part of the nebulous ‘Greater Bay Area’ scheme.

Another bridge across the Pearl River mouth will link Shenzhen and Zhongshan, 30km north of Hong Kong, from 2023.

The bridge has prompted fears over increased pollution and parking shortages in Tung Chung and additional traffic in South Lantau.

Tolls for the bridge have been provisionally set at 150 yuan (HK$182) for private cars and 200 yuan (HK$242) for cross-border coaches.

Tung Chung east reclamation begins following issue of $12b contract

Work on Tung Chung east, the biggest expansion of the district since it was built 20 years ago, is now underway following the issue of a HK$12.1 billion contract for reclamation work.

The project will involve a massive reclamation of 130 ha of Tung Chung Bay between Tai Ho and Tung Chung, including construction of 4.9km in seawalls.

The work will be carried out by Build King-SCT, a joint venture led by listed civil engineering firm Build King, the government announced yesterday.

Tung Chung East reclamation (CEDD)

Work began on December 29 and under the current timetable the first parcel of land will be handed over to the Housing Department in 2020.

The first residents are expected to move in in 2023. When completed, Tung Chung east will provide 40,000 new flats.

Tung Chung west (CEDD)

Another 9,000 apartments will be built at Tung Chung West around the villages of Shek Lau Po, Ngau Au, Lam Che, Mok Ka and Shek Mun Kap.

Site investigation work began in July and detailed infrastructure design is underway, CEDD told the Islands District Council last month.

Tung Chung East, artist’s impression (CEDD)

MTR probe into Tung Chung line platform mix-up

MTR Corp has launched an internal probe to understand how an Airport Express train was switched onto the Tung Chung line.

A Hong Kong-bound Airport Express train was leaving Kowloon station at 9:25 yesterday morning when an operations control centre staff member noticed it was set to arrive at the Tung Chung line platform at Hong Kong Station.

The staffer instructed the driver to stop the train and then reset the train route to the Airport Express platform, HK01 reported.

The incident caused a delay on the Tung Chung Line, but otherwise did not affect the safe operation of the trains, MTR said.

The company apologised for the incident and is conducting an internal investigation. It is preparing a report for the Transport Department.

Tung Chung’s new public market won’t open until at least 2023

The government has rebuffed requests from district councillors to build a public market in central Tung Chung.

Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) official have also declined to build a temporary market to serve residents before the new market is ready in five years.

Responding to Islands District Councillor members Eric Kwok and Holden Chow, the department says there is no room in the town centre for a market and it will go ahead with a site it has identified in Tung Chung east.

But that won’t be ready until residents move into Tung Chung east, one of the city’s major housing expansion projects, which won’t be finished until at least 2023.

Kwok says residents’ groups have been pressing the FEHD for three years on three possible sites: the temporary bus terminus on Tat Tung Rd, the vacant lot space behind the North Lantau and next to the bus depot at Chung Wai Street.

Until now, the department has not given a formal response.

In a written reply to Kwok, it said it had no plans to set up a temporary market, citing hygiene, safety, water supply and other issues.

“At this stage we are focusing our efforts on the construction of new public markets,” it said.

It said the new market was “conveniently” located next to the planned Tung Chung East MTR station, currently scheduled to open in 2026.

Kwok said new markets are also planned for the Ying Tung estate in Tung Chung east and Mun Tung, now nearing completion in Tung Chung west.

But both will be put to commercial tender, raising fears of a repeat of the Link REIT experience, he says.

Link REIT, a real estate trust which owns markets across Hong Kong, including Tung Chung’s Fu Tung, has been accused of pricing rents too high for small businesses and consumers.

Many Yat Tung residents travel out of Tung Chung to do their shopping because of the high local prices.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam committed to building a new public market in Tung Chung in her September policy address.

Government planners say Tung Chung’s population, currently below 90,00, will increase to nearly 250,000 over the next eight years as a result of new projects in Man Tung, Tung Chung west and Tung Chung east.

Tung Chung property: Coastal Skyline record, 300% Caribbean Coast gain

The owner of a Caribbean Coast apartment has booked a HK$7.02 million gain and a new Coastal Skyline record has been set as local property prices continue their ascent.

According to Centaline Property, the Caribbean Coast owner bought the high-floor apartment in tower 6 for HK$2.34 million in 2003.

The three-bedroom flat, with a usable area of 894 sq ft, sold last week for HK$9.36 million, or HK$10,470 per sq ft usable area.

A Coastal Skyline apartment sold for HK$7.15 million – the highest ever for a two-bedroom unit in the complex.

The mid-floor unit has a usable area of 592 sq ft and a gross floor area of 775 sq ft, resulting in a price of $12,027 per sq ft usable area.

It last changed hands for HK$3.4 million in December 2010, Economic Times reported.

Hong Kong second-hand apartment prices have risen 25% in the past three years as investors have sought to cash in on the expiry of the special stamp duty.