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Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Hok-ming and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, at the Legislative Council meeting today (December 21) :
Question:
It has been reported that a petrochemical plant in Daya Bay ("Daya Bay plant") is scheduled to officially commence operation in December this year. Nevertheless, the explosion of a petrochemical plant in Jinlin and the resultant pollution of the Songhua River and temporary suspension of water supply in Harbin etc. have aroused concerns of the public and green groups in Hong Kong about issues such as the safety and environmental impacts of the Daya Bay plant. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether the Hong Kong authorities have measures to monitor the operational safety of the Daya Bay plant; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(b) whether the Hong Kong authorities will be immediately notified of any leakage of chemicals from the Daya Bay plant; if so, of the notification mechanism involved, and the contingency and preventive measures, which the Hong Kong authorities have in place, to prevent such contaminants from entering Hong Kong and causing health hazards to the public and damage to the environment of Hong Kong; and
(c) whether it has measures to monitor whether local agricultural products have been contaminated as a result of the operation of the Daya Bay plant?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The petrochemical plant in Daya Bay is located in Huizhou Municipality of Guangdong Province. Its operation has to comply with the safety and environmental requirements of the relevant Mainland authorities. Since the project is outside the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, we have no statutory power to monitor the operation of the petrochemical plant. Based on what the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has learnt from the company concerned, the company has drawn up a detailed environmental monitoring programme, based on the recommendations in the environmental impact assessment report on the project, in order to monitor the environmental impact of the project on nearby areas during the construction and future operation, as well as the compliance status of the relevant parameters. Since the start of the construction works of the project in March 2003, quarterly monitoring reports have been published at the website of the company (www.cnoocshell.com). Moreover, as the petrochemical plant is in Daya Bay and about 80 km from the urban areas of Hong Kong, the daily operation of the plant will not have any adverse impact on the environment of Hong Kong.
(b) Under the framework of the Hong Kong-Guangdong Joint Working Group on Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection, the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau and the Guangdong Environmental Protection Bureau have a direct communication channel for major cross-boundary environmental pollution incidents. The Special Panel on Dongjiang Water Quality Protection set up under the Joint Working Group has put in place a notification mechanism for the water quality monitoring and emergency incidents. Moreover, in the event of oil spills or emergency incidents at sea, the Mainland port authority will, as required, notify the authorities in Hong Kong so that the relevant departments, including EPD, will activate the corresponding contingency plan and take preventive measures. If the incidents pose a threat to Hong Kong, the departments will, in accordance with the agreed plan, first conduct a detailed assessment to monitor the extent of impact on Hong Kong, and promptly contain, recover and properly dispose of contaminants drifting into Hong Kong waters. As for the impact on marine and land traffic, the relevant departments will make deployment accordingly and assist those affected, including temporary evacuation from the polluted areas as necessary.
(c) As said above, the petrochemical plant in question is about 80 km from the urban areas of Hong Kong and the daily operation of the plant will not have any adverse impact on the environment of Hong Kong. However, if there is any information showing that the plant may have an adverse impact on our environment, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department will take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of livestock in local farms.
Ends/Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Issued at HKT 12:37
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