Stakeholder Engagement Activities

HATS Stage 2A

We held various public engagement activities to promote HATS Stage 2A and enhance the public’s awareness of this scheme.

On 19 December 2015, the Grand Ceremony for HATS 2A was attended by the Chief Executive of the HKSAR, the Secretary for the Environment, the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), the Director of Drainage Services, Advisory Council on the Environment (ACE), a member of the Legislative Council (LegCo), engineering consultants and various contractors. A Media Briefing was held afterwards, to explain details of the project to the press.

We are educating the public on HATS by distributing newsletters and participating in exhibitions. During the construction period of Stage 2A, we also met members of the press, including TVB, RTHK and Bloomberg, with whom we publicized our tunnel construction works in a series of interviews and filming.

We welcome group visits to understand our latest construction updates. Groups hosted during the year include the Wuhan Water Authority; the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of Sichuan province and the Authority of Qianhai; Shenzhen Water Planning and Design Institute; China Northwest Architecture Design and Research Institute; LegCo member Mr. Kenneth CHAN Ka-lok and members of the Civic Party; the Technological and Higher Education Institute (THEi) of Hong Kong; the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) (UK); the Open University of Hong Kong (OpenU); the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) (UK); the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE); and the “CLAP for Youth” programme organised by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

During the year under review, volunteers from the HATS Stage 2A works signed up for several community care campaigns, such as visits to district elderly community centres and blood donation.

Kai Tai River Improvement Works

The Kai Tai River Improvement Works aim at improving the waterway formerly known as Kai Tai Nullah, boosting its drainage capacity on one hand and providing more open space to neighbouring communities on the other, through the establishment of a green river corridor and the introduction of landscaping and ecological elements.

Prior to project commencement, DSD joined hands with the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) and Planning Department (PlanD) in a two-stage public engagement programme known as “Building our Kai Tak River”. Ever since the project commenced in 2011, we have been in close contact with various stakeholders, seeking to fully grasp their concerns and minimise impact of the construction project on residents as far as possible.

In July 2015, the “Building our Kai Tak River” Writing Competition, jointly organised by DSD, consultants and contractors of the Kai Tai River Improvement Works, is concluded successfully. The competition received a total of 85 submissions from four primary schools and four secondary schools in Wong Tai Sin district. We hope that this competition will encourage students to spell out their thoughts on the river’s environmental, aesthetic and ecological transformation, while getting to learn more about the river. The prize presentation ceremony was held at the Kowloon Walled City Community Hall on 2 July 2015.

We have also arranged for students from secondary schools and the Hong Kong Design Institute, and members of the HKIE to visit Kai Tai River Improvement Works sites, briefing them on the goals, challenges and major techniques applied to the project.

Relocation of Sha Tin STW to Caverns

As the Relocation of Sha Tin STW to Caverns proceeds, DSD organised the third stage of its public engagement programme between December 2015 and March 2016, with a series of activities briefing the public on the project progress, the results of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and preliminary construction arrangements etc. We also took the initiative to collect views and suggestions from participants during the programme in order to improve overall project performance.

Happy Valley Underground Stormwater Storage Scheme

Happy Valley Underground Stormwater Storage Scheme (HVUSSS) aims to reduce flooding risks in Happy Valley and Wan Chai districts through the construction of an underground stormwater storage tank. We have endeavoured to keep close contact with the neighbouring groups, schools and other stakeholders since the works began.

In the past year, various local and overseas organisations have dispatched delegations on technical site visits to the HVUSSS. They include the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), HKIE, the Asian Science and Technology Pioneering Institutes of Research and Education (ASPIRE) League, the PRC Minister of Water Resources, the Governor of Guangdong province, the National Taiwan University Alumni Association, and so on.

On 1 June 2015, RTHK began shooting its television news programme Subsurface Rules at the HVUSSS site. Episode one “Submarine rules” featured DSD’s "three-pronged flood prevention" strategies in flood protection: interception, flood storage and drainage improvement. The programme highlighted the importance of less-noticeable underground infrastructures and explained how the substantial planning and implementation challenges were overcome during construction.

In April 2015, leisure magazine Hong Kong Discovery interviewed our Senior Engineer, Ms. CHENG Nga-see, covering various features of the project from stormwater storage tank operations and the water harvesting system to tree conservation and stakeholder communication. The feature article, “Hong Kong Rain Profile (II). Secret under Happy Valley: Rainwater Exodus”, was published in Hong Kong Discovery in May 2015.

The fourth HVUSSS Stakeholder Engagement Workshop was held on 15 December 2015. We reported the project progress to various key stakeholders, including Wan Chai DC members, representatives of the Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.