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Following is a question by Dr Hon Kwok Ka-ki and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in the Legislative Council today (December 11):
Question:
According to a paper submitted by the Government to this Council in October this year on the construction of the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL), the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) has commenced the boring works for the Ngau Tam Mei (NTM) section of the railway tunnels, and the structural works for the ventilation buildings located at Mai Po and NTM. It has been reported that earlier on, some NTM residents have found that, since the commencement of the XRL works, quite a number of cracks appeared on the steps and the floor of the corridors inside the buildings in which they live, and some exterior walls of their buildings even slanted outward. Moreover, the koi cultivators and farmers there have found that some of the wells in NTM area have dried up, which are allegedly caused by the ground water drawdown resulting from the pumping away of underground water during the excavation and tunneling works, and thus their livelihood has been seriously affected. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it knows the number of assessments made by MTRCL since the commencement of the XRL works in respect of the impacts of such works on the underground water sources and the aboveground structures in NTM, and whether MTRCL has made public such assessment reports; of the number of site inspections conducted so far by staff from the authorities and MTRCL with regard to the aforesaid complaints by the residents;
(b) whether the authorities and MTRCL have made any detailed assessment since the commencement of the XRL works in respect of the impacts of such works on the fish farming and agricultural industries in NTM; if they have, of the details and whether the assessment reports have been made public; if they have not made such assessments, the reasons for that and whether the authorities and MTRCL will do so as soon as possible;
(c) of the total number of complaints received so far by the authorities and MTRCL from NTM residents in which the residents have alleged that the XRL works and related issues (such as traffic management, tidiness and cleanliness of works sites) have affected the underground water sources, building structures, residents' livelihood, etc. in that area, as well as the main contents of such complaints and the follow-up actions taken;
(d) of the details of the rectification measures taken by the authorities and MTRCL in response to the reduction in underground water sources caused by the XRL works, as well as the effectiveness of such measures; and
(e) whether the authorities and MTRCL have any plans at present to provide compensations to NTM residents affected by the XRL works; if they have, of the progress in computing the amounts of compensation payments; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
My consolidated reply to the five parts of Dr Hon Kwok Ka-ki's question is as follows:
The Government and the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) have all along paid much attention to the construction impact of the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) to underground facilities and structural safety of nearby buildings. At the design stage, the MTRCL, which engaged a professional environment consultant, prepared an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report regarding the XRL works for submission to the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) in May 2009 in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (Cap 499). The EIA report has analysed in detail various areas, including ecology, fishery, noise, landscape and visual impact, cultural heritage, water quality, land contamination, waste management and air quality. In particular, impact to the level of groundwater and wells and fish ponds in Ngau Tam Mei (NTM) has been evaluated. The report has concluded that with the adoption of good construction methods, the XRL project will only pose mild impact to the nearby environment.
The MTRCL has conducted public consultation according to the statutory procedures. This included public exhibition of the EIA report from July 21 to August 19, 2009 to gather public views. The relevant information was uploaded onto the websites of the MTRCL and EPD for public inspection in September 2009. At the same time, the MTRCL informed the representatives and residents of Yau Tam Mei Tsuen (YTMT) via various channels that such information had been promulgated and uploaded to the Internet. The EIA report was approved in September 2009.
During construction, the MTRCL has put in place effective environmental monitoring and audit programme and notification system as required in the Environment Permit issued by the EPD to process environmental monitoring work for the XRL project. Timely mitigation measures have also been implemented under the existing mechanism to minimise the construction impact to the surroundings. Monitoring data has not shown any undesirable impact to the vicinity by the XRL works.
In response to the concerns of the local communities and villagers about the groundwater level of NTM, the MTRCL and its contractors have been closely monitoring the situation. To address their concerns, the MTRCL together with the representatives of San Tin Rural Committee (STRC), relevant district councillors and two representatives of YTMT jointly invited scholars from the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in mid-2012 to conduct an independent study on the changes in the groundwater level in NTM, with a view to examining the correlation between the construction of the XRL shaft in NTM and the changes in the groundwater level within the neighborhood.
In late September 2012, the two HKU professors briefed the MTRCL and local communities of the study report. The executive summary of the report was also distributed to the STRC representatives, district councillors and two YTMT representatives. The report concurred to the 60-metre influence zone identified by the MTRCL, and suggested further enhancing the monitoring of the groundwater level within 300-metre zone from the shaft and increasing recharge of groundwater for effective stabilisation of the water level. The MTRCL and its contractors have implemented the recommendations proactively. Monitoring devices for the wells and groundwater level have increased from nine and 15 to 34 and 29 respectively. These monitoring points can properly keep watch over the changes in the groundwater level.
Regarding the impact on buildings on the ground, the MTRCL has set up a number of monitoring points at relevant buildings and locations near the XRL alignment to monitor the environmental impact, including noise and vibration, of the XRL works. The data so collected will be submitted to the government departments concerned for scrutiny to ensure compliance with the legislative requirements. According to the monitoring results, the data has not indicated any undesirable impact by the XRL project to the surroundings. The MTRCL will keep a close watch over the construction of its contractors and the impact on the vicinity by the works. Appropriate mitigation measures will be implemented for minimising impact to the neighborhood.
So far, the MTRCL has received about 120 cases from YTMT residents involving wells, suspected building damage, streams and suspected impact to the water quality. In most cases, the loss adjuster has confirmed that there is no evidence suggesting any relation with the XRL project.
Twelve of the above cases involve wells and are confirmed to be related to the XRL project. The MTRCL has maintained close contact with the owners/occupiers concerned and is processing their damage claims according to the established procedures. The loss adjuster has met with the owners/occupiers individually to discuss specific follow-up arrangements. Arrangements with eight owners/occupiers have been agreed. The loss adjuster is following up on the remaining four cases by negotiating with the owners/occupiers.
Moreover, none of the suspected building damage cases amongst the above involves structural safety. Ten of them are mainly about cracks on the walls or floor. Preliminary investigation has revealed that the damage may be related to the XRL project. The MTRCL has maintained close contact with the owners/occupiers concerned and is processing their damage claims according to the established procedures. The loss adjuster has met with the owners/occupiers individually to discuss specific follow-up arrangements. Arrangements with five owners/occupiers have been agreed. The loss adjuster is following up on the remaining five cases by negotiating with the owners/occupiers concerned.
To protect privacy, specific details of the discussion will not be disclosed as personal particulars of owners/occupiers are involved.
In addition, there are 19 cases that are pending for the assessment results from the loss adjuster or residents' replies for arranging site inspections.
In fact, the MTRCL has maintained close dialogue with the relevant rural committee, district councillors, YTMT representatives and local residents since June 2008. Through meetings with residents, site inspections and Community Liaison Group meetings etc, the MTRCL has followed up on the concerns of the local communities in a timely manner. Relevant information and updates on the works have been disseminated via the XRL dedicated website, ten issues of the XRL newsletter and posting of notices. In addition, the representatives of the relevant government departments and MTRCL have attended over 150 site inspections, visits and residents' meetings in response to the requests of YTMT residents, so as to have direct communication and dialogue with the local communities, explain to them matters related to the XRL works and listen to their views. At the same time, at the case conferences on December 14, 2012 and November 22, 2013 of the Legislative Council (LegCo) as well as the site visit on February 4, 2013, the Government and MTRCL representatives briefed LegCo members of the XRL works in NTM and followed up on the concerns of local residents.
The Government will continue urging the MTRCL to monitor the groundwater level in NTM and situation of nearby buildings, and if necessary, implementing appropriate measures to ensure public safety and minimise the construction impact to residents in the vicinity.
Ends/Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Issued at HKT 12:33
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