Work on huge Lantau reclamation scheme won’t start until environmental safety is confirmed, senior Hong Kong official Liu Chun-san says
- Bureau will study more environmentally friendly ways of reclamation, Liu tells district council meeting
- But environmentalists are not impressed, saying there is no harmless reclamation
A controversial plan to build a cluster of artificial islands off Lantau will not start until it has been confirmed that the project does not have a detrimental environmental impact, according to a top development official.
Undersecretary for Development Liu Chun-san’s pledge came after he was confronted by environmentalists when he detailed the reclamation project for the first time at an Islands District Council meeting on Monday.
“Only after confirming that there will be no unacceptable impact on the environment can we start construction,” Liu said. “We will actively study more environmentally friendly ways of reclamation, in the hopes of doing better than what the law requires, so people do not need to worry.”
But Liu’s response failed to impress environmentalists, including members of the Save Lantau Alliance, who said the work would damage the marine ecosystem.
“[Reclamation] is not environmentally friendly in the first place, how can it be more environmentally friendly?” one said.
