Environmental Performance Report 2005
Environmental Protection Department

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| Foreword | 1 Environmental Policy | 2 Organisation, Programmes and Responsibilities | 3 EPD Offices and Facilities | 4 Our Influence and Impact on the Environment | 5 Our Contribution to the Environment | 6 Our Own Operations | 7 Progress on Year 2004 Targets | 8 Targets for 2005 | 9 Verification Statement | 10 Feedback Form |

| 5.1 Our Contribution to Strategic Decision-Making | 5.2 Planning for a Better Environment | 5.3 Effective Enforcement and Emergency Response | 5.4 Building Partnerships and Customer Service | 5.5 Environmental Awareness and Education | 5.6 Professional Development and Research |

5 Our Contribution to the Environment
   5.2 Planning for a Better Environment

5.2a Prevention and Mitigation through Environmental Impact Assessment
5.2b Better Air Quality
5.2c Quieter Environment
5.2d Better Water Quality
5.2e Environmentally Sound Waste Management and Facilities

5.2a Prevention and Mitigation through Environmental Impact Assessment

| Our Responsibilities | Protecting the Community and the Environment | Achievements in 2004 |


Our Responsibilities

We aim to pre-empt environmental problems associated with projects, plans and policies by assessing their environmental implications and implementing preventive and mitigatory measures where potential problems are identified.

Protecting the Community and the Environment

Since the enactment of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) in April 1998, we have protected:

• 
2.6 million people from the possible adverse impacts of projects through impact avoidance and control measures;
• 
1 130 ha of biological area through the environmental impact assessment process.

 

Achievements in 2004
| EIAs | Public Involvement | Links with Stakeholders |

EIAs

The EIAO helps to avoid and mitigate against undesirable impacts from projects before they are built. Up to 2004, projects worth a combined $324.4 billion had met EIAO requirements and were approved, including the West Rail, the Disney Theme Park on Lantau and other strategic road projects. The EPD also managed 130 environmental monitoring and audit programmes during the year.

Photo of The Hong Kong Disneyland site under construction on Lantau Island.

The EPD has been liaising with Mainland authorities to manage cross-boundary project EIAs. The EIAs of the Tonggu Channel of the Shenzhen Port and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge are underway. Work has begun on one approved project, the Shenzhen Western Corridor, and is being monitored, and work will commence on the Towngas submarine pipeline in early 2005.

Public Involvement

The government is keen to promote continuous public involvement (CPI) in the EIA process. Public input on projects during public exhibition of project profiles and EIA reports has been welcome for some time. New technology is enabling input at other stages of the process. A 3-D EIA public engagement tool, that helps people visualise a proposed project and its impacts, was developed in 2004. Two mock 3-D projects were uploaded onto the EPD website to demonstrate the tool to the public, and two information seminars were organised for professionals, academics, consultants, community groups and others. The first project to incorporate the 3-D tool was the EPD's Northeast New Territories Landfill Extension, which included it in its EIA study brief.

The EPD also piloted the use of an electronic whiteboard at a workshop on the Kwai Tsing District Revitalisation Project. Members of the public, community leaders and others recorded their comments and suggestions on a 3D image displayed on the whiteboards, which was then stored in computers for consideration by the design team.

Photo of Members of the public record their comments at a meeting using an electronic whiteboard.

Links with Stakeholders

EIAO Support: The EIAO Support Section provides assistance on the EIA process to other government departments and the private sector. In 2004 it launched an e-learning platform on the EIA mechanism and held 13 workshops on the EIA process for 430 participants. The section also operates a helpdesk and produced a Training Manual on the EIA Mechanism in 2003.

Help for SMEs: Targeted support was offered in 2004 to SMEs, which make up the main bulk of industry in Hong Kong and the Mainland but have little or no knowledge of environmental management systems or ISO 14001 certification. The EPD prepared a support package for SMEs in the construction industry and launched it at a seminar in December that attracted more than 200 participants. Feedback was very positive, with 87% of respondants rating the seminar "useful" or "very useful" and 98% saying it helped them understand the environmental trends facing the trade. Supporting materials were placed on the EPD website and published in a CD-ROM. A tailored package is also being prepared for the electrical/electronic sector, to be launched at a January 2005 seminar.

Photo of Support package in CD-ROM.

Photo of EPD organised a seminar in December to launch an Environmental Management Information and ISO 14001 EMS support package for the construction sector, with speakers from the industry and government departments.

User Liaison Groups: The EPD has set up four User Liaison Groups, with government works departments, consultants, contractors, private developers and public corporations. A joint seminar on Continuous Public Involvement was held in May 2004, with more than 250 participants from different sectors.


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