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Press Release
Ground investigation conducted for Tamar development
In response to media speculations that the Tamar site might be seriously contaminated, a Government spokesman today (June 8) clarified that the speculations were unsubstantiated. The Government has conducted ground investigation for the Tamar project. The findings did not reveal any contaminant which cannot be handled effectively.
The Government has conducted detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for Central Reclamation Phase II including the Tamar site. Subsequently, a ground investigation was conducted in 2003 to assess the ground soil condition of the Tamar project site. Results of the assessment revealed a small amount of contaminant with traces of heavy metal, but these could be completely disposed of according to ordinary and established landfilling procedures.
The aforementioned EIA report is an open document, and the Ground Investigation Report has been included in the documents submitted by the Government to the subcommittee on Tamar development project under the Legislative Council Panel on Planning, Lands and Works on March 7, 2006.
The spokesman said that allegations on the Tamar ground soil containing highly concentrated dioxins were not substantiated with evidence. According to experts, under normal circumstances, only incineration of waste containing certain types of plastics (e.g. polyvinyl chloride) or similar materials with incomplete combustion would lead to chances of producing large amount of dioxins. There is no reason to believe that such incineration has ever taken place at the Tamar site, which is at the city centre of Central.
Regarding comments which have mixed up the Tamar site with the former Cheoy Lee Shipyard, the spokesman said that the circumstances pertaining to the two places are absolutely different. In general, normal operation of dockyards does not involve mass burning of certain types of plastic materials. The dioxin-contaminated soil at the former Cheoy Lee Shipyard was found from some incineration pits and waste pits. The contamination, it was reckoned, was related to activities involving mass combustion of certain types of plastic materials.
The Tamar site covers an area of 4.2 hectares in total, which is formed mainly from Central Reclamation Phase II undertaken in the 1990s. The former Tamar Bay was a place for mooring in the past. There was a maintenance depot then which occupied a small corner to the southeast of the Tamar site.
Ends/Thursday, June 8, 2006
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