Smart tech aids HK’s environment

June 11, 2023

Multifunctional options:

Equipped with an additional periscope lens, the submarine captures video above the water level.

Innovative approach:

The submarine enters a drainage channel to carry out its mission of tracing the polluted water and detecting the origin of the problem. (Courtesy of Environmental Protection Department)

Important clue:

Using the submarine, the department is able to quickly locate the branches of suspected pollution, which greatly narrows the scope of its search.

(Courtesy of Environmental Protection Department)

Key detection:

The submarine reveals clear and vivid underwater images that reflect the improvement of water quality in the Shing Mun River. (Courtesy of Environmental Protection Department)

Monitoring tool:

The submarine monitors the existence of corals to ensure the permit holder fulfils the requirement of safely relocating corals during environmental remediation work. (Courtesy of Environmental Protection Department)

Download Video| Transcript

Voiceover:

The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) employs this recently-introduced unmanned sampling submarine as a means to investigate cases of water pollution via an innovative way.

Environmental Protection Department Senior Environmental Protection Inspector Viane Lee:

Our task force developed its smart uses (by) utilising its capabilities to investigate complex and potentially dangerous (drainage) channels.

Take for example the investigation of a water pollution case. Using traditional methods, investigators spent three to four weeks, but (they) still could not find clues to the source of the water pollution.

With the traditional investigation methods, we were used to first, opening the heavy manhole for inspection, (and) then sending frogmen into the channels for investigation, which involved a lot of risks in itself.

Also, the manhole involved may be located on the highway, and it was impractical to close the road to open the manhole. 

Therefore, we tried to use our submarine to investigate different branches of the channel, and were able to clearly observe the situation within the channel through the additional periscope lens we installed.

As it was unaffected by the polluted waters in the channel, we were able to quickly locate the branches with suspected pollution, which greatly narrowed the search scope, allowing us to quickly find the source of the polluted water and rectify the pollution issue.

Environmental Protection Department Senior Environmental Protection Officer Law Chi-wing:

The EPD uses the innovative unmanned sampling submarine for pollution investigation and environmental monitoring purposes. We regularly test the water quality of the Shing Mun River, and now we can use the unmanned sampling submarine to dive into the Shing Mun River, in order to understand the underwater biodiversity and check the effectiveness of the environmental protection efforts.

Over the years, various government departments have performed their duties to actively improve the environment of the Shing Mun River, through the implementation of various pollution control measures and interdepartmental collaboration. The efforts of the EPD and different departments in improving the water quality of the Shing Mun River can be clearly reflected by the clear water and diverse marine life as seen in the recent underwater images.

Voiceover:

From Hong Kong’s rivers to the sea, this submarine also helps the department with monitoring the environmental remediation work concerning the Three-Runway System project.

Environmental Protection Department Senior Environmental Protection Officer Fiona Cheung:

The environmental permit of the Three-Runway System project requires the relocation of the corals in the affected waters. In the past, we could only rely on the photos in the report submitted by the permit holder to visualise their status. Now, we can use the unmanned sampling submarine to effectively monitor the underwater environment. 

It also allows our colleagues to inspect the effectiveness of our environmental protection work in a much safer and faster manner.

Environmental Protection Department Principal Environmental Protection Officer Victor Yeung:

To support Hong Kong to develop into a smart city, we have established an Innovation & Technology Task Force. We try to promote the development and application of various technologies, helping us to tackle various difficult cases, in particular related to law enforcement and also in monitoring the environment.

It is nothing out of the ordinary for submarines to dive under the water, but in the case of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), their officers are using a smart underwater device to investigate drainage channels aimed at detecting the source of water pollution.

Innovative investigation

The recently-introduced unmanned sampling submarine helped the department to solve a once untraceable water pollution case in the Shing Mun River of Sha Tin.

The inspectors of the case could not find clues to the source of pollution after about four weeks of using traditional investigation methods that include opening the heavy manholes for inspection and sending frogmen into the channels for investigation, when necessary.

Because some of the suspected manholes were located on a highway with heavy traffic, it was impractical to close the road for inspection works, rendering the case unsolved.

Given that some of the manholes were inaccessible, instead of investigating all the possible sources one by one, the department’s Innovation & Technology Task Force employed the use of the submarine to trace the source from the drainage channel where the polluted water was spotted.

Navigating in the drainage channel, the submarine can clearly observe the surroundings amid the muddy waters via the use of an additional periscope lens installed by the task force.

With the use of the smart submarine, the department swiftly identified the source of the polluted water and rectified the issue accordingly.

Crucial footage

Apart from pollution investigations, the department uses the submarine for other environmental monitoring purposes.

As an example, it regularly tests the water quality of the Shing Mun River to evaluate the effectiveness of its environmental protection efforts.

True to its description, the unmanned sampling submarine is capable of collecting water samples via a plug-in accessory. It is also equipped with a real-time water quality monitoring sensor, which constantly checks water quality parameters that include dissolved oxygen, pH value and turbidity.

Additionally, the underwater footage captured by the submarine helps the department to understand the biodiversity in the river and the water quality.

Shing Mun River was once heavily polluted. Over the years, various government departments joined hands to improve the environment of the tributary.

The clear water and diverse marine life shown in such footage clearly reflect the efforts of the interdepartmental collaboration.

From Hong Kong’s rivers to the sea, the submarine assists the department with monitoring the environmental remediation work concerning the Three-Runway System project. The environmental permit of the project requires the relocation of the corals in the affected waters.

In the past, the department could only rely on the report submitted by the permit holder to understand the situation. The use of the submarine now allows for such monitoring in a much safer and more direct manner.

Smart team

The EPD set up the Innovation & Technology Task Force in 2019 to explore the deployment of smart technologies in an effort to overcome investigation barriers and enhance efficiency and safety in its operations.

Principal Environmental Protection Officer Victor Yeung said the task force aims to promote the application of technologies within the department.

“The department’s colleagues are united as one. The task force collects and listens to the opinions of the frontline staff, integrating the experience and wisdom of the team members, so that we can develop and search for the people-oriented technologies.”

The department won the gold prize in the Innovation & Technology Awards (Best Use of Technology) category in the Civil Service Outstanding Service Award Scheme 2022.

The adjudicators of the award recognised that the various types of advanced technology deployed by the department to combat pollution are effective in improving citizens’ livelihood and demonstrate explicitly the benefits brought by the application of technologies.