Government to press on with plans to expand two landfill sites
The government has proposed creating a stretch of green belt to act as a buffer between an extended landfill in Tuen Mun and residential areas, in a bid to appease locals who have objected to plans to expand the landfill.
The government has proposed creating a stretch of green belt to act as a buffer between an extended landfill in Tuen Mun and residential areas, in a bid to appease locals who have objected to plans to expand the landfill.
"My colleagues and I have received a variety of opinions from members of the district councils and representatives of rural committees and villagers. We listened to their views and discussed improvement proposals and future planning," Wong told Legco.
The landfill at Tuen Mun is the largest of three such sites in Hong Kong, and is expected to reach capacity within six years.
Legco's public works subcommittee voted on July 2 to approve a HK$35 million study into the feasibility of expanding the Tuen Mun site, which would cost an estimated HK$9 billion to construct.
The decision was met at the time with strong opposition from local residents. Tuen Mun district council argued the area already had a disproportionate share of "dirty" facilities such as power plants and fuel depots.
In July, the government shelved plans to expand the Tseung Kwan O landfill after strong local opposition, but Wong said those expansion plans would be resubmitted to lawmakers in the first quarter of next year.
A third expansion to the Ta Kwu Ling landfill is also planned.
In a bid to galvanise support for the Tuen Man expansion, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and Wong have taken over the chairmanship of a working group set up with the district council to examine local demands and proposals. They also visited Ha Pak Nai village in Yuen Long and Lung Kwu Tan village in Tuen Mun in August.
Lung Kwu Tan mayor Lau Wai-ping, 60, said he could not see how a green belt would help their situation. "Can trees or grass stop the odours from spreading towards us?" he asked.
He said about 1,000 residents of his village had made multiple complaints about the terrible smell from the landfill.
"The landfill is polluting the sea and producing foul odours, but the government has still not addressed our concerns properly," he said. He hoped the government understood the impact of the landfill on villagers' lives.
