HONG KONG 2005

The Government has been successful in pre-empting environmental problems by applying an environmental assessment process to policy, planning and project proposals. Development and policy proposals submitted to the Executive Council that involve environmental issues and all submissions to the Public Works Subcommittee of the Legislative Council's Finance Committee must contain an assessment of the environmental implications.

The Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance provides a transparent and systematic framework for assessing the environmental impact of designated projects and, where avoidance is impracticable, identifying effective measures to reduce the impact to an acceptable level. It is supplemented by a technical memorandum setting out clear and consistent technical guidelines and criteria. Information on applications made under the ordinance is available at the EPD's home page. Since the implementation of the ordinance, 93 environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports have been approved (as at December 31) and more than 1.5 million people and many ecologically sensitive areas are protected against unacceptable environmental impact as a result of preventive or mitigatory measures adopted in planning and design of developments. Risk assessment is required under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance for designated projects which manufacture, store, use or transport certain dangerous goods. In addition, the EPD has been promoting continuous public involvement in the EIA process.

Environmental monitoring and auditing is an integral part of the assessment process because such checks validate the assumptions made in the planning stage, monitor the effectiveness of mitigation measures and ensure that every project delivers the environmental performance promised in the impact assessments. In 2005, the EPD managed about 120 monitoring and auditing programmes for major projects.

For the past five years, the EPD has been promoting reporting on environmental monitoring and auditing through the Internet. For major projects, permit holders are required to set up dedicated websites to publish project information, including environmental monitoring and auditing data and results, in a user-friendly format. Since April 2002, major projects have been required to set up web camera systems to make the site conditions visible to the public. Such web-based reporting provides easier access to information on environmental performance and enhances public participation in monitoring the implementation of environmental measures arising from the application of the environmental impact assessment process.

Environmental concerns are incorporated into land use planning through the application of the environmental assessment process and the adoption of the environmental planning standards and guidelines. For major land use planning studies, a Strategic Environmental Assessment is required to integrate environmental considerations into the formulation of land use plans. Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance, an environmental impact assessment must be carried out as part of the engineering feasibility study of urban development or redevelopment projects with a study area covering more than 20 hectares or involving a population of more than 100 000. These environmental assessments form an integral part of the planning studies and help identify major environmental issues and possible mitigation measures for integration into the land use plans.

The issue of environmental sustainability is being examined in the new review of the Territorial Development Strategy (called Hong Kong 2030: Planning Vision and Strategy), which began in September 2000. Within this Hong Kong 2030 study, there is a strategic environmental assessment study being conducted to address the long-term environmental sustainability issues and the public are engaged continuously throughout the study process.

The Government promotes environmental management in both the public and private sectors, including the Green Manager Scheme, environmental auditing, environmental management systems (EMS) and environmental performance reporting. All bureaux and departments have appointed Green Managers, most have regular environmental audit programmes and some have been certified to ISO 14001 standard. All bureaux and departments publish annual environmental performance reports on their operations, programmes and policy areas. A web-based 'Cyber Helpdesk on Environmental Performance Reporting' provides readily accessible, concise guidance and information. Useful environmental management information is also available at the EPD's home page. So far, the EPD has received more than 400 environmental performance reports from various bureaux and departments.

To provide continual EMS support to local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and help them stay competitive in the environmentally conscious business market, the EPD produced a user-friendly ISO 14001 EMS support package in November to meet the latest requirements of ISO 14001:2004 version.

The Government is committed to improving the quality of life in rural areas and to ending or removing land uses that degrade the rural environment. Village sewage disposal has also gradually improved in the rural areas of the New Territories. In 2004 and 2005, the Government earmarked additional funds of $1.8 billion to allow the domestic discharges from a further 235 000 people in 236 villages and other unsewered areas to be connected to sewers. The works will take some time to complete as time must be given to design and build the sewers and to resolve objections and land resumption issues.