Gov’t collects opinions about underwater tunnel connecting landfills

The Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) is launching a survey aiming to collect the opinions of the general public as well as associations on the environmental assessment of the underwater tunnel that would connect zone A and B of the new landfills.

According to a statement issued by DSSOPT, the survey comes as part of the Environmental Assessment Plan ordered to the “South China Sea Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences” and is an important part of this report, as stated by the rules of the State Environmental Protection Administration in 2006.

The collection of responses is taking place between December 3 and 17. The DSSOPT will provide three questionnaire completion and delivery stations in different locations of the region (the Public Administration Building, the Areia Preta Service Centre of MSAR and the lobby of the DSSOPT).

According to the provisions, the environmental impact assessment is divided into three phases. The first phase (consisting of preliminary preparation, research, study, and public consultation on the draft work) has been already completed.

The second stage consists of analyzing, demonstrating, forecasting and assessing the environmental impact, in order to carry out a more in-depth analysis of the work and the investigation of the conditions of the work site. Results from the questionnaire will be reported upon in this chapter.
The third and final phase consists of the completion of the environmental impact report and the holding of a public consultation to gather opinions on the final report.

To recall, the link between zones A and B of the New Urban Landfills will be made through an underwater tunnel about 1,400 meters long that would create a new network of connection links that include the Zhuhai-Macau border checkpoint of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and the fourth Macau-Taipa bridge through the road network of zone A landfill.