Introduction
This is a comment on
Draft Hoi Ha Outline Zoning (OZP) Plan No. S/NE-HH/1.
Objections
When the Draft Hoi Ha OZP was being drafted it failed to consider three key issues:
1. The presence of
coral communities in Hoi Ha Wan;
2. The threat to these
coral communities from pollution, because the underlying geology will not
support the use of on-site septic tanks and soakaway (STS) systems; and
3. The threat to these coral communities from sedimentation
resulting from clearing land for development.
Coral communities
The coral communities in Hoi Ha Wan are the dominant feature
of conservation and ecological significance in the area, yet the Draft OZP
doesn’t mention this. You cannot consider the ecology, conservation or
development of Hoi Ha without discussing the coral communities. Moreover,
when the Hoi Ha Wan Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Marine Park were being established, only two
threats significant enough to cause irreparable damage to the coral communities
were identified. These are pollution and sediment runoff from future development
in the area.
Hoi Ha Wan Site of Special Scientific Interest designation document
Comments made at the opening of Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park
Threat
to coral communities from pollution
The underlying geology in Hoi Ha village will not support
the use of on-site septic tanks and soakaway (STS) systems to disperse
untreated wastewater into the surrounding soil. The underlying surface sediment
in Hoi Ha village comprises a mixture of alluvium, beach deposits and debris
flow deposits. Such deposits are porous and highly permeable, allowing for
rapid drainage.
Because of this, pollution will not be filtered, which will result
in nutrient rich wastewater flowing into Hoi Ha Wan, leading to irreparable
damage being caused to the coral communities there. It is important to note, two
of the worst nutrient threats to coral communities are excess nitrogen and
phosphorous, whilst two of the main nutrient products of STS systems are
nitrogen and phosphorous.
Threat
to coral communities from sediment runoff
At the same time, excavations undertaken during development will
expose soil and sediment to the elements, which will disrupt the geologic
continuum in the area. Because Hong Kong is naturally subject to
heavy downpours of rain and extreme weather events, such exposure could lead to
a massive single discharge of sediment or prolonged discharges of sediment into
Hoi Ha Wan, smothering the coral communities. Hoi Ha Wan has a documented
history of this. In the 1980’s, the loss of a coral community was recorded on
the eastern shore of Hoi Ha Wan because of soil and sand runoff when trees and
rocks were removed from the surrounding hills for reclamation of land at the Ma
On Shan new town.
Comment
Because none of these issues has been considered in the Draft
Hoi Ha OZP, appropriate assessments have not been made and no development
should be allowed in Hoi Ha village until these issues have been properly
considered and evaluated.
Petition
If you want to object to the proposed development in Hoi Ha,
please sign the petition here:
No comments:
Post a Comment