Contaminated soil beneath the Kai Tak airport site could delay for up to two years a multi-million-dollar town development.
Tests and treatment of the mud, which is contaminated with toxic fuels, lead and other heavy metals, must be completed before building can start, the Advisory Committee on Environment said yesterday. About 154 hectares are affected.
Experts believe that methane can build up in the soil if left untreated and that explosions are possible.
Tests to assess how the soil should be treated will take a few months, the committee's environmental impact assessment sub-committee chairman, Professor Lam Kin-che, said.
The preferred method of decontamination would then be carried out, which could take up to two years, he said.
'There will be no development until the final soil tests are assessed,' Professor Lam said.
