Reclamation Projects in Hong Kong

1. Introduction

In early 1850s, since there were insufficient lands along the coast for further development to meet the increasing population on Hong Kong Island, the first reclamation project of reclaiming land from the west of Kennedy Town to the east of Wan Chai was started. (ENSR Asia (HK) Ltd, 2008) Later on, reclamations by sea were frequently employed to serve land needs, owing to the great success and effectiveness shown in previous projects. Famous landmarks like Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Hong Kong International Airport were all built on reclaimed land.

2. Needs for land reclamations

2.1 Extreme land scarcity

With the fact that close to 70% of Hong Kong is mountainous terrain and 25% of the flat land areas have already been developed, only 5% flat land areas are now left for developments. (Soloman Alliance Management, 2012) Starting from 1850s, the total area of land reclaimed from sea is measured to be 60 sq. km, which occupies about 5% of the total area of Hong Kong, indicating the heavy reliance of reclamations on sea.

2.2 High population density

When compared to other sovereign states and dependent territories in the world, population density of Hong Kong ranks at the 3rd position with about 6500 persons per sq. km. (UN, 2011) Furthermore, based on the trend shown in recent years, the population density is strongly believed to rise steadily in the future.

3. Challenges arisen from reclamations by sea

3.1 Environmental challenges

Although smaller sea coverage seems trivial to marine life, problems arisen, like reduced tidal volume and weakened water dynamic strength, could actually lead to serious consequences. The decrease in tidal volume has reduced the water exchange and sand-carrying abilities of sea water. (Zhang, 2012) Therefore, toxic sediments like zinc and lead would not be brought away. Moreover, dredging the seabed during reclamations stirs up many heavy metals and other toxins that have been absorbed into the soil. Those poisonous substances accumulate along food chain and could eventually kill organisms in upper tier of food chain. Meanwhile, organic nutrients would accumulate due to reduced water-exchange ability, thereby facilitating the occurrence of algal blooms and red tides. They are equally deadly to marine animals.

3.2 Economic challenges

It is acknowledged that sea reclamation projects require huge investment of human resources and money. However, with more lands, more buildings and infrastructures can be built to provide more residential flats, commercial buildings and hotels, hence prospering the local economy, especially in the tourism and financial sectors. The