Over half of projects employ parallel tendering, green group and lawmaker denounced violation of procedural justice

LegCo Finance Committee reviewing proposal for Tung Chung East this Friday – Yet tendering started last month

LegCo robbed of power and control over funds

It is not news that the government’s recent ‘white elephants’ have been spewing out scandal after scandal due to lack of supervision – over-budgeting, delays, errors, accidents, breaches of environmental permits, the list goes on. Hence many lawmakers have expressed the wish to scrutinize the government’s funding proposals and amendments more thoroughly, to avoid making the same mistakes. Alas, instead of learning from experience, the government has decided, in shame and anger, to pressure the LegCo with unusual means.

Green Sense and lawmaker Dr. Edward Yiu noticed that the authorities have greatly increased the use of ‘parallel tendering’ – submitting a project proposal to the LegCo to secure funding, while simultaneously confirming tenders and proceeding to openly call for bids. Worryingly, it is found that since its operation from October 2016, the Public Works Subcommittee of the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council has received a total of 34 funding proposals from the government, more than half of which – 18, to be exact – employs parallel tendering (Table 1).

‘The government claims that parallel tendering can “shorten procedures”, but it has weakened the power of the Legislative Council,’ criticized Roy Tam Hoi-pong, Chief Executive (Voluntary) of Green Sense. ‘It would be difficult for the LegCo to propose amendments to the bidding documents and the projects, and the whole consideration process would be rendered meaningless. This is a violation of procedural justice.’ Dr. Yiu has expressed similar disapproval towards the government’s actions. ‘As LegCo members, we have the right and responsibility to raise questions regarding methods of construction, materials used and criteria of the tenders, as well as to put forward motions for amendments, and set funding criteria for proposals. And yet the related departments have already started open tendering before we have completely considered the proposal. This is both imperious and outrageous, and has seriously marred the administration-legislation relationship.’

As an example, Tam cited the Tung Chung East reclamation project proposal, which would be put into consideration at the Finance Committee this Friday. Despite LegCo procedures not being completed yet, authorities have launched open tendering on 30^th June. According to Tam, green groups have been expressing concerns over the construction. We have suggested the elimination of the yacht club from the proposal to reduce reclamation area, strengthening inspection on fill materials, an act which would benefit both the construction and the environment (Table Two and Picture). These suggestions have gained the support of several lawmakers, who agreed to follow up the matter in the Finance Committee, and even propose a motion for amendment. Yet now that the government has started tendering, it may as well openly proclaim that all project details are final and no alterations would be accepted.

‘The government’s “tendering first, questions later” tactic leaves lawmakers with only the options of whether to approve or reject a project. And with the pro-establishment camp blindly flanking each and every one of the government’s decisions, the Council would be nothing more than a giant cash dispenser,’ said Tam. He demanded that authorities withdraw the bidding documents, and review its own actions, so as to prevent further division among society.

Table 1. Funding proposals submitted by the government to the Public Works Subcommittee of the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council (Oct 2016 to present)

Table 2. Suggested amendments to the Tung Chung East Reclamation Project

Picture:

Blue text: the Brothers Marine Park

Green text: Tai Ho SSSI and Tai Ho Wan

Black text: Yacht Club

Dotted-line-enclosed area: Suggested reclamation area

Serious problems emerged with 3^rd runway reclamation fill

Overseas import of marine sand leads to high cost and multiple pollution

Suspension of rock dust from artificial sand causes murky waters

Green Sense claims ‘Halting project is the only way out’

Facing the enormous demand of marine sand by reclamation works of the 3^rd runway of the International Airport, contractors are presented with two choices: Importing marine sand from Hainan, China or Southeast Asia, or replacing a portion of marine sand fill with artificial sand. Both are equally destructive, as the former causes multiple pollution of oceans, while the latter leads to the suspension of fine rock dust in the water, resulting in unacceptable deterioration of the local marine environment. Green Sense criticized the huge environmental cost of the project, and urged LegCo members to push for detailed accounts from the Airport Authority and the Environmental Protection Department in a meeting of the Three-Runway System LegCo Subcommittee held today.

Cost of the reclamation works, which requires a total of 100 million cubic meters of marine sand, has already amounted to a vast HKD 56.2 billion, and may continue to rise due to a shortage of sand supply from China and subsequent rising prices, easily leading to serious budget overrun and delays. In fact, marine sand supply has never been enough – last year, construction of an artificial island in the Macau section of the Hong-Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge experienced delays due to this very reason. The 3^rd runway project is facing the same crisis, said a contractor last month, and the proposed solution to keep the project going was to import marine sand from Southeast Asia, as well as to mix in artificial sand – finely crushed rocks produced with sand making machines – in place of marine sand.

Roy Tam Hoi-pong, Chief Executive (Voluntary) of Green Sense, emphasized that overseas import of marine sand would cause multiple environmental pollution. Not only would the reclamation site suffer a permanent loss of marine habitat, and the seabed from which marine sand was extracted be permanently destroyed, but the lengthy transport of sand would also lead to unacceptable carbon emissions.

On the other hand, artificial sand consists of not only larger rock grains but also fine rock dust, which, when used for reclamation, would suspend in water and cause severe marine pollution. As a demonstration, Tam prepared two glasses of clear water and added a sample of marine sand and artificial sand to each. The marine sand sank within minutes leaving the water clear, yet the glass of water containing artificial sand remained turbid throughout the press release.

‘A rinsing step is needed to remove the fine dust during artificial sand production,’ said Tam. ‘But this would in turn pollute rivers close to the factories, and the cost could very likely rocket. Thus it is unrealistic to rinse artificial sand before use. However, direct use of artificial sand without rinsing would likely be violating requirements stated on environmental permits, or lengthen construction processes, resulting in delays and budget overrun.’ He added that over the years the project has already been criticized for being overly ambitious, unhelpful in resolving limited airspace issues, and destructive to habitats of the Chinese White Dolphins, and has consequently faced strong oppositions. It was clear that the Airport Authority is stuck in a dilemma and the project should be stopped immediately.

Lawmaker Edward Yiu Chung-yim expressed equal concern with the project and the fact that authorities have failed to make public the environmental and budget-relating problems of using artificial sand, despite it being clear that marine sand was on shortage. He agreed to demand detailed explanations during the subcommittee meeting.

The first time I saw pictures of the iconic cotton candy coloured dolphins local to Hong Kong, I assumed that the images were modified. But each of these exceptionally intelligent creatures truly comes with their own distinctive pattern of pink and purple coloration. On a recent tour in the north Lantau waters, I was lucky enough to see several of these curious animals, who swam right up to the boat and showed off their beautiful hues while spiritedly diving around in the increasingly polluted waters. The dolphins seem to have a special relationship with the dedicated researchers from the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, who have been patiently and non-invasively collecting data about the creatures for decades. The researchers are able to recognize each dolphin on sight, and can casually chat about their quirky personalities and life history in the Pearl River Delta. Sadly, these histories are becoming alarmingly short, as development in the estuary has caused massive destruction to the pods. After a devastating report that an adult and an adolescent dolphin were recently discovered dead on local shores, the current number of local white dolphins left in Hong Kong is down to 60. A decade ago there were well over 150.

More than 1,400 hectares of sea area has been reclaimed since the mid 90s, ruining habitats and fisheries in the Pearl River Delta. Major development projects like the still uncompleted bridge standing between Hong Kong and Macau has caused toxic levels of water pollution, hazardous traffic, and overfishing. Dredging in the delta deposits suspended solids into the water, while dumping in contaminated mud pits releases heavy metals and organochlorides which poison dolphins and further deplete fishing reserves. The toxins affect baby dolphins the most, many of whom are born sick and die very young.

Dolphins are incredibly social creatures that rely upon the strength of their pod for survival. Upsurges of noise pollution caused by development and ferry traffic obscures the echolocation necessary for dolphins to hunt, communicate, and navigate in the delta, leaving many stranded and helpless. The high speed ferry routes directly traverse dolphin estuaries and it has become commonplace for researches to see mangled fins and other injuries from collisions with boat turbines. But the greatest peril is undoubtedly the development still to come. The proposed third runway at Hong Kong International Airport would be the final nail in the coffin for the local population of Chinese white dolphins.

The AAHK’s proposal to build a third runway at Hong Kong International Airport would cause irreparable damage to local marine ecology. The proposed repossession of 650 more hectares of waterway in the heart of three dolphin hotspots in North Chek Lap Kok represents one of the largest reclamation projects in Hong Kong history. The AAHK has claimed that a marine park will be established for the dolphins after the runway is completed in 2022, with utter disregard to the fact that the proposed “park” is already an existing marine area, and therefore cannot possibly mitigate the loss of reclaimed waterways. The assumption that the dolphins would simply return to Hong Kong after construction is finished would be laughable if it wasn’t so devastating.

The loss of the Chinese white dolphins in Hong Kong may be the first casualty on the frontline of a vastly ill-conceived white elephant project, but they would certainly not be the last. The third runway will also greatly damage Lantau Island and contribute to pollution levels that would be hazardous to human health in surrounding areas. The plan is flawed even in its conception. Chek lap Kok is already one of the most congested airspaces in the world, and there is a finite number of flights that can travel through that area regardless of the number of runways. The crowded airspace, and the subsequent narrower waterways below, will not only be unsafe according to international safety standards, but will also have to be merged with airspace that is owned by mainland China and controlled by the People’s Liberation Army.

The endless repercussions of this conservatively estimated $141.5 billion project have yet to be addressed, and “quick fix” mentality is not only deadly to the white dolphin population and their surrounding environment, but it is also politically, socially, and financially unsustainable. It must be made clear that the nonchalance with which this development is being approached is simply unacceptable, and the plight of the irreplaceable white dolphins must be spread in order to save them before it is too late.

Abi Speers - Student from summer internship programme 2016

Develop properly but not blindly
Development in East Lantau should be reduced to preserve the precious peace of Mui Wo and Peng Chau
The issue is not lack of land supply, but flats are affordable
Green Marks for Policy Address: 20 marks (Fail)

There are a crazy number of land exploitation methods in dramatic scale proposed in the Policy Address 2014. Even if there is significant demand for housing in Hong Kong, we believe the need of increase of land reserve should at the same time be balanced with adequate recreational spaces, community facilities, breezeways of the city and the conservation of eco-environment.

Roy Tam, Chief Executive of Green Sense remarks, “The government is trying more and more fiercely to obtain land but with “blind” eyes. Mr. C.Y. Leung is determined to turn Hong Kong into a huge construction site, contrary to his another goal of air quality improvement.” Such Policy Address is to declare war against the environment and the ecological system. We give it 20 marks as regards to its environmental aspect. In other words, it clearly fails.

Mr. C.Y. Leung proposes that, except for the north of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula, which are more densely populated, the maximum domestic plot ratio for all other areas should increase by 20%, which was worrying. There is high density of multi-stories buildings in Hong Kong. There is already too deep and too common an impression of “Concrete Forest” for Hong Kong. Many newly developed areas are designed to have lower density than the Kowloon Pennisula in order to provide a better quality of life and living environment. The proposal contradicts the current town planning principles and is sloppy.

Sai Kung and Lantau Island are gardens of Hong Kong people. Unfortunately, North Lantau has fallen in recent years (as construction of massive infrastructure in progress). Now, the Eastern of it may be developed to “Eastern Lantau Metropolis”. Such policy suggestion is not cost-effective and non-environmentally friendly. If it is to build an artificial island, it will surely cost thousands of billions. Mui Wo and Peng Chau are also famous holiday attractions for Hong Kong people and are quiet places to live in. Therefore, we in principle oppose reclamation and development of the “Eastern Lantau Metropolis” in the eastern waters off Lantau Island and neighbouring areas.

The issue of housing is not the lack of land supply and therefore the resolution is not the increase of the same. The major problem is that flats constructed are simply unaffordable. Such problem cannot be solved by increase of land supply to the developers, as they would hoard the new supply or to develop luxurious flats, as it is what they usually do with the current pieces of land. The price of flats will still be very expensive anyway.

It is regrettable that there is no mention of the capacity of Hong Kong in the Policy Address. If we are to tackle housing problems, not only should we look at the supply of land, but also the population growth.

Date: 22nd April 2012 (Earth Day)
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Route: From (Old) Legislative Council Building [Jackson Road, Central]  To   Tamar Central Government Complex
Dress Code: Blue or Light Blue

Our concern:
There are various activities all over the world promoting and advocating environmental protection on 22nd April (Earth Day) every year. Currently in Hong Kong, there are serious threats towards our ocean. The government proposed to have reclamation for land reserve. Suggested sites include Castle Peak Bay, Cheung Chau, Wu Kai Sha, Tolo Harbour and Tseung Kwan O, etc.

Reclamation causes irreversible damage to ecology and marine landscape. It should be regarded as a last resort instead of a readily choice. Our government should first have population control policy and also address the problem of private buildings being developed as or promoted as high price luxurious buildings.

Moreover, the government proposed to have reclamation for the construction of the 3rd runway, which is of the size of 650 hectares, at the North Lamma; while another proposed reclamation for a mega-incinerator in Shek Kwu Chau.

If you love marine life, appreciate the invaluable ocean, and think that it should not be filled with concrete and construction wastes, please come and join us on 22nd April – Anti Reclamation Demonstration!