The Development Bureau, the Civil Engineering & Development Department and the Planning Department held an expert meeting today to exchange views with a delegation of top environmental and ecological experts from the Mainland on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) study for the proposed reclamation works of the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands (KYCAI).
 
Members of the delegation included Chinese Academy of Engineering academician, Director of Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences' State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria & Risk Assessment Wu Fengchang; former Director of Ministry of Natural Resources' Third Institute of Oceanography of the State Oceanic Administration Yu Xingguang; and former Director of the National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center of the Ministry of Ecology & Environment Guan Daoming.
 
Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn thanked the Mainland experts for visiting Hong Kong to exchange views and offer guidance on the EIA study on the KYCAI's reclamation.
 
Apart from pointing out that the KYCAI is a development project with strategic significance, she said that with the provision of 1,000 hectares of new land in the long term and a strategic location, the KYCAI will create a strong impetus for Hong Kong's development into a quality city.
 
Ms Linn emphasised that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is committed to conducting the EIA study with high standards, so as to promote high-quality development in support of the national initiative of building an ecological civilisation.
 
The project team conducted fact-based, comprehensive ecological surveys, which evaluated the environmental impacts and recommended suitable mitigation measures, with a scientific approach.
 
The EIA report, currently being prepared, will be elevated to a higher level in terms of environmental quality with the guidance of various experts.
 
At the meeting, the experts conducted an in-depth discussion on various environmental and ecological issues, including hydrodynamics and water quality as well as ecology and the fishery industry.
 
Although climate change is not covered in the scope of the statutory EIA, as it will not be intensified by reclamation works, the climate resilience of the artificial islands has been raised for discussion at the meeting since it is an issue of public concern.
 
On the whole, the experts opined that the EIA report on the reclamation of the KYCAI has balanced the needs of development and conservation.
 
The EIA covers various areas, which is reasonably scientific, with novel environmental mitigation measures employed. With a stringent approval mechanism, the project exemplifies the initiative of building an ecological civilisation.
 
Ms Linn said that the experts gave positive comments and valuable views on the EIA report, which further strengthened its scientific analysis and basis of validation, and assisted the project team in enhancing the EIA report.
 
She added that the project team strives to submit the EIA report within this year to formally launch the statutory EIA process.
 
Before the meeting, the delegation visited the City Gallery in Central to learn about Hong Kong's overall urban planning. The delegation then took a boat trip to inspect the ecological environment in the vicinity of Kau Yi Chau and learn about the achievements of the reclamation project in Tung Chung.