Background of the Project
Shenzhen River is the boundary river between the Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) and the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. In order to prevent serious flooding in the vicinity and improve the livelihood of residents on both sides, the government of the HKSAR and the Shenzhen Municipal Government have jointly completed the Shenzhen River Regulation Program Stages 1, 2 & 3 between 2007 and 2006. About 13.67 km in length of Shenzhen River, starting from the confluence with Ping Yuen River to the river mouth, has been regulated under the first three stages of regulation program.
The purpose of the proposed Stage 4 regulation program is to upgrade the flood protection standard of the Shenzhen River. In addition, the regulation program will also tie in with the development of the proposed Liantang / Heung Yuen Wai (LT/HYW) Boundary Control Point (BCP). The proposed Stage 4 of the regulation program will continue the works of Stage 3 regulation program starting from the Ping Yuen River to about 1.4 km upstream of the proposed LT/HYW BCP (a total of about 4.5 km of Shenzhen River will be regulated) (hereafter “the Project”). In addition, associated with the river training works, the existing boundary patrol road and boundary fence of about 4.5 km in length running alongside the concerned river section are required to be realigned.
The Project Site
Changjiang Water Resources Protection Institute (CWRPI 長江水資源保護科學研究所) in association with ERM-Hong Kong Ltd was jointly commissioned by the Shenzhen River Regulation Office of the Shenzhen Municipal Government (深圳市治理深圳河辦公室) and the Drainage Services Department of the HKSAR to undertake the Regulation of Shenzhen River Stage 4 EIA Study (the Assignment) in accordance with the EIA Study Brief (No. ESB-200/2009) and the Technical Memorandum of the Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIAO-TM).
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Need of the Project
The catchment of the Shenzhen River comprises a “fan-shaped” system, characterised by short and steep upstream rivers. Large flow from these rivers can converge into Shenzhen River within a short time. During heavy rain storm, the flood peak can reach the downstream section of Shenzhen River within a few hours. The flooding risk of the Shenzhen River is particularly prominent at times of heavy rain associated with typhoon, where the high sea level suppressed the water discharge from Shenzhen River. Prior to the regulation of Shenzhen River, frequent flooding occurred along the river. Since the completion of the Stage 3 regulation works, the flood prevention ability of Shenzhen River is enhanced and the flooding frequency is reduced.
The section of the Shenzhen River to be regulated under this Project is relatively flat, wide and winding. The width of the river is uneven and erosion can be found along the river bed and river banks. Some sections of the river embankment have collapsed. The current flood prevention performance are in the range of 1 in 2 to 1 in 20 years, which cannot meet the standard in the PRC National Standard (1 in 20 to 50 years) or the Hong Kong Standard (1 in 50 years). Hence, there is a need to carry out the Project to rectify the flood prevention performance of this section of the Shenzhen River and to safeguard the livelihood of settlements and boundary security along the river. In addition, the Project will be required to meet the required flood protection standard for the proposed LT/HYW BCP development.
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