Contents
1.1 Purpose of the Report
1.2 Structure of the
Report
2.1 Background
2.2 Works Programme and
Works Locations
2.3 Construction
Activities
2.4 Status of
Environmental Approval Documents
3.1 Cable Installation
Water Quality Monitoring
3.2 Marine Mammal
Observation (MMO)
3.3 Coral Monitoring
3.4 Site Inspection and
Audit
5 Environmental
Non-Conformance
5.1 Summary of Environmental
Non-compliance
5.2 Summary of
Environmental Complaint
5.3 Summary of
Environmental Summon and successful prosecution
6.1 Key Issues for the
Next Reporting Period
6.2 Monitoring Schedule
for the Next Reporting Period
LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1 Summary
of Landing Point Construction Activities Undertaken during the Reporting Period
Table 2.2 Summary
of Current Environmental Licensing, Notification and Permit Status
Table 6.1 Construction
Works to Be Taken For the Next Reporting Week
LIST OF ANNEXES
Annex A Proposed ASE Submarine Cable System
(Layout Plan)
Annex B Location of ASE Landing Point and
Terrestrial Cable Route
Annex C Completed Site Inspection Log
Annex D Photographic Records on Site
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
NTT Com Asia (NTTCA) proposes to install a
telecommunication cable (Asia Submarine-cable Express (ASE) cable) of
approximately 7,200 km in length, connecting Japan and Singapore with branches
to the Philippines, Hong Kong SAR (HKSAR) and Malaysia. A Project Profile (PP-452/2011) which
includes an assessment of the potential environmental impacts associated with
the installation of the submarine telecommunications cable system was prepared
and submitted to the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) under section 5.(1)(b) and 5.(11) of the Environmental Impact Assessment
Ordinance (EIAO) for the application for Permission to apply directly for
Environmental Permit (EP). The
Environmental Protection Department, subsequently issued an Environmental
Permit (EP-
433/2011).
This
is the Fourth Weekly Site Inspection
Report that presents the findings of the site inspection and other EM&A activities undertaken during the period from 22 to 28 October 2012.
Environmental Site Inspection
A
weekly joint environmental site inspection was carried out by the
representatives of the Contractor and the Environmental Team (ET). Environmental performance complied with
the environmental requirements and all necessary mitigation measures were
properly implemented.
Marine Mammal Observation (MMO)
Daily
marine mammal exclusion zone monitoring was conducted on 22
¡V 24 October 2012 in the reporting week,
as the cable installation barge reached the boundary of Hong Kong marine waters
by the end of 24 October 2012. Every
day prior to the start of cable installation, the qualified observer scanned
the 250 m exclusion zone for at least 30 minutes to ensure no cetaceans in the
exclusion zone. Otherwise, cable installation works
should be delayed until they leave the exclusion zone. During the three days of MMO, no
cetaceans were reported to have been observed within the 250 m exclusion zone.
Environmental Complaints,
Non-compliance & Summons
No
non-compliance with PP recommendations, EP conditions and other requirements
associated with the construction of the Project was recorded in the reporting period.
No
environmental complaint was received in this reporting period.
No environmental summons
was received in this reporting period.
Upcoming Works for the Next
Reporting Period
Works
to be undertaken in the coming reporting period include seawall duct work, land
duct laying works, beach manhole construction and backfilling and restatement. Potential
environmental impacts arising from these
construction activities are mainly associated with marine water quality, dust,
construction noise and waste management.
For the submarine
cable installation part, cable laying works will be conducted from
HKSAR boundary to China waters, which are out
of the scope of the current EM&A.
ERM-Hong Kong, Limited
(ERM) was appointed by NTT Com Asia (NTTCA) as the Environmental Team to conduct
regular site inspections and audit the implementation of all environmental
monitoring and mitigation measures recommended in the Project Profile (PP) (Register
No. PP ¡V 452/2011) for the Proposed Asia Submarine-cable
Express (ASE) ¡V Tseung Kwan O (the Project).
This is the Fourth Weekly Site Inspection Report (the
Report), which summarises the inspection findings for the period from 22 October 2012 to 28 October 2012 and the implementation status of the EM&A
recommendations on environmental protection and pollution control mitigation
measures and monitoring.
The structure of the Report
is as follows:
Section 1
: Introduction
Details the scope and structure of the
Report.
Section 2 : Project
Information
Summarises background and scope of the Project, site
description, construction programme, the construction works undertaken and the
status of Environmental Permits/Licenses during the reporting period.
Section 3 : Environmental
Monitoring
Summarises
the monitoring programmes as recommended in the PP and the monitoring undertaken
during the reporting period.
Section 4
: Site Inspection Results
Summarises the findings of the weekly
site inspection undertaken within the reporting period.
Section 5 : Environmental Non-conformance
Summarises any exceedances
of environmental performance standard, environmental complaints and
environmental summons received within the reporting period.
Section 6 : Upcoming
Works for the next Reporting Period
Summarises the
impact forecast and monitoring schedule for the next reporting week.
Section 7 : Conclusions
NTT
Com Asia (NTTCA) proposes to install a telecommunication cable (Asia
Submarine-cable Express (ASE) cable) of approximately 7,200 km in length,
connecting Japan and Singapore with branches to the Philippines, Hong Kong SAR
(HKSAR) and Malaysia. NTTCA is
responsible for securing the approval to land the ASE cable in Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong SAR (HKSAR). The proposed landing site will be at a
new Beach Manhole (BMH) and ultimately connect with a Data Centre in Tseung Kwan O (TKO) Industrial Estate which is scheduled
for completion in 2012. From Tseung Kwan O, the cable will extend eastward approaching
the Tathong Channel. Near to Cape Collinson,
the cable is approximately parallel to the Tathong
Channel until north of Waglan Island where the cable
travels eastward to the boundary of HKSAR waters where it enters the South
China Sea. The total length of
cable in Hong Kong SAR waters is approximately 33.5 km. A map of the proposed cable route is
presented in Annex A.
A
Project Profile (PP-452/2011) which includes an assessment of the potential
environmental impacts associated with the installation of the submarine
telecommunications cable system was prepared and submitted to the Environmental
Protection Department (EPD) under section 5.(1)(b) and
5.(11) of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) for the
application for Permission to apply directly for Environmental Permit
(EP). The Environmental Protection
Department, subsequently issued an Environmental Permit (EP-
433/2011).
Under the requirements of Condition
2.4 of the EP, an EM&A programme as set out in the revised Environmental
Monitoring and Audit Manual (EM&A Manual) is required to be
implemented. The EM&A programme
includes water quality monitoring, marine mammal observation, coral monitoring
and weekly site inspection.
The location of the cable
installation works within the boundary of Hong Kong SAR waters is shown in Annex A, while the location of the landing point (ie new Beach Manhole (BMH) in TKO Industrial Estate) is shown
in Annex B.
The preliminary construction programme of the Project is given in Figure 2.1.
Figure
2.1 Preliminary
Construction Programme
Submarine
Cable Installation
The
submarine-cable installation works started on 8 October 2012. By the end of the reporting period (ie 28 October 2012), cable laying works in Zone A, Zone B and
Zone C had been finished and the cable installation barge reached the boundary
of Hong Kong marine waters on 24 October 2012. The cable protection work will be
performed for Zone A and Zone B at the later construction stage.
Landing
Point Construction
The
construction works of the landing point commenced on 4 October 2012 and are
temporarily scheduled to be completed in early December of 2012. A summary of the major construction activities undertaken
on the landing point during the reporting period is shown in Table 2.1.
Table 2.1 Summary of Landing Point Construction
Activities Undertaken during Reporting Period
Construction Activities Undertaken |
¡P
Installation of G.I. pipe ¡P
Filling and levelling the base of G.I. pipe
¡P
Installation of steel mould for concreting ¡P
Concrete pour ¡P
Start reinstating armour rock |
A summary of the relevant
permits, licences, and/or notifications on environmental protection for this
Project is presented in Table 2.2.
Table 2.2 Summary
of Current Environmental Licensing, Notification and Permit Status
Permit/ Licences/
Notification |
Reference |
Validity Period |
Remarks |
Environmental
Permit |
EP-433/2011 |
Throughout
the construction and operation of the Project |
Permit
granted on 20 December 2011 |
Construction
Noise Permit |
GW-RE0774-12 |
18 Sep 2012 ¡V 31 Jan 2013 |
Permits
granted on using of registered powered mechanical equipment for 07:00-23:00 hrs on general holidays (including Sundays) and 19:00-23:00
hrs on any day not being a general holiday for Sub-marine
cable laying works of the Project |
Baseline
water quality monitoring was completed by the end of September 2012. Baseline Water Quality Monitoring
Reports for Zone A, Zone B and Zone C were submitted on 19 September 2012, 25
September 2012 and 1 October 2012, respectively.
Daily
impact water quality monitoring was not conducted in the reporting period as no
cable laying works in Zone A, Zone B and Zone C were involved from 22 October
2012 to 28 October 2012.
Daily
marine mammal exclusion zone monitoring is required to be conducted during the
cable installation works taking place in daylight hours along the sections
outside Zone A to Zone B (ie Zone C and from C to the
boundary of HKSAR waters).
During
the reporting period, the MMO was conducted on 22
¡V 24 October 2012, as the cable installation barge reached the boundary of Hong
Kong marine waters by the end of 24 October 2012. Every day prior to the start of cable
installation, the qualified observer scanned the 250 m exclusion zone for at
least 30 minutes to ensure no cetaceans in the exclusion zone. Otherwise, cable installation works
should be delayed until they leave the exclusion zone. During the three days of MMO, no
cetaceans were reported to have been observed within the 250 m exclusion
zone.
Baseline
coral monitoring was completed in September 2012. The Baseline Coral Monitoring Survey
Report was submitted on 28 September 2012.
Post-project coral monitoring will be conducted within one month after
completion of the jetting works, with the Post-project Coral Monitoring Survey
Report to be submitted within one month after completion of the marine
works. Impact monitoring for coral
during cable installation works is not required under the Project.
In
the week of 8 October 2012 when the cable installation barge passed the
identified coral communities as presented in the Baseline Coral Monitoring Survey Report, the nearest distances
between the barge and the identified coral communities in Zone A and Zone B
were 230m and 270m respectively, indicating the cable alignment of more than 180m
away from the identified coral communities as required in the Environmental
Permit (EP- 433/2011).
In
accordance with the revised EM&A Manual, a weekly site inspection should be
undertaken at the landing point (ie new Beach Manhole
(BMH) in TKO Industrial Estate) to ensure that the appropriate environmental
protection and pollution control mitigation measures are properly implemented
in accordance with the Project Profile (PP-452/2011). Results of the site inspection in the
reporting period are provided in Section
4.
The weekly site inspection is
required to be carried out by the representatives of the Contractor and the
Environmental Team (ET). A Site
Inspection Log is completed by the ET representative to record
whether the Contractor is compliant with environmental regulations in terms of
noise, water quality and housekeeping etc (Annex C).
During the reporting
period, the site inspection was conducted on 26 October 2012 by the
representatives of the Contractor and the ET. There was no non-compliance recorded
during the site audit. Major
findings and recommendations are summarised as follows:
(i)
A copy of EP was displayed conspicuously
at the vehicular site entrance in accordance with the requirement of Condition
1.5 of the EP.
(ii)
A
silt curtain was employed around the seawall area in order to reduce the
dispersion of sediments from the landing site (Annex D Photo No. 1).
(iii)
Tarpaulin
sheets were observed to have been used to cover the excavated materials and
open stockpiles (for the part that was not actively used) to prevent dust
generation or erosion (Annex D Photo No. 2).
(iv)
Rubbish
bin has been provided by the Contractor (Annex D Photo No. 3) and the construction site was found to be largely
clean and tidy with rubbish seldom seen on site.
(v)
Dark
smoke was seen rising from the crane truck used to restore large boulders back
to the opened sea wall (Annex D Photo No. 4).
The Contractor was reminded to well maintain all plants and equipment on
site. Dark smoke, which indicates
inefficient combustion of fuel within the plant engine, should be avoided to minimise air pollution emission. Follow-up action actions
by the Contractor will be check in the next week¡¦s site inspection.
No non-compliance of PP/
EM&A/ EP/ legislative requirements was recorded during the reporting period.
No complaint was received
during the reporting period.
No summons was received
during the reporting period.
Works to be taken for the next
reporting period are summarised in Table
6.1.
Table 6.1 Construction Works to Be
Taken For the Next Reporting Week
Work to be taken |
Submarine Cable Installation ¡P
Cable laying works will continue from HKSAR boundary
to China
waters (out of the scope of the current EM&A) Landing Point
Construction ¡P
Seawall duct work ¡P
Land duct laying works ¡P
Beach manhole construction ¡P
Backfilling and reinstatement |
Potential environmental
impacts arising from the above construction activities are mainly associated
with marine water quality, dust, construction noise and waste management.
Impact water quality
monitoring will cease in next week and resume when the cable protection works using hand jetting are conducted in Zone A and Zone B at
the later construction stage.
Next weekly site inspection
is temporarily scheduled on 2 November 2012.
This Fourth Weekly Site Inspection Report presents the findings of the
site inspection and other EM&A activities
undertaken during the period from 22
to 28 October 2012, in accordance
with the PP (Register No. PP ¡V 452/2011), revised EM&A
Manual and the requirements of Environmental
Permit (EP- 433/2011).
Submarine-cable
installation works/ jetting works were conducted outside Zone A, Zone B and
Zone C and reached the boundary of HKSAR waters in the reporting period. No impact water quality monitoring was
carried out in the reporting week.
Daily marine mammal
exclusion zone monitoring was conducted on 22
¡V 24 October 2012 in the reporting
week, as the
cable installation barge reached the boundary of Hong Kong marine waters by the
end of 24 October 2012. Every day prior
to the start of cable installation, the qualified observer scanned the 250 m
exclusion zone for at least 30 minutes to ensure no cetaceans in the exclusion
zone. No cetaceans were reported to
have been observed within the 250 m exclusion zone during the three days of MMO.
A
weekly joint environmental site inspection was conducted on 26 October 2012
during the reporting period. It
confirmed that the environmental mitigation measures recommended in the PP were
properly implemented by the Contractor.
No
non-compliance event was recorded during the reporting period.
No complaint and
summons/prosecution was received during the reporting period.
The ET will keep track on
the construction works to confirm compliance of environmental requirements and
the proper implementation of all necessary mitigation measures.