LettersWhy Hong Kong should put the seas first in Lantau reclamation project
- Concerns over the effects of the massive Lantau reclamation project on the water and the marine ecosystem should not be dismissed with promises of economic growth
The recently released report from the Task Force on Land Supply has various recommendations on land creation, and its medium to long-term options include “developing the East Lantau Metropolis”.
Admittedly, artificial islands could produce large areas of land for tens of thousands of residents, without any worries about incompatibly with land use in neighbouring areas, often a great source of trouble in cases of urban renewal or developing sites under private recreational leases.
However, one cannot overlook the fact that developing the metropolis would involve large-scale reclamation, adversely impacting the marine ecosystem and the biotic environment. The habitat of living organisms such as coral may be harmed. Ocean scientists have warned that the reclamation could worsen a nearby “dead zone” depleted of oxygen. The counterargument is that these harms to the environment may be minimised by innovative technology of reclamation, for instance, non-dredging technology to avoid dredging marine mud in the seabed.