Dolphin Watching Plan should be implemented in the silt curtain enclosed area once silt curtain is installed to enclose the work area of the outlet of the box culvert fully. The DWP includes inspection of the silt curtains, visual inspection and the action plan in event that Chinese White Dolphin is seen within the enclosed waters. The layout and location of the silt curtain and viewing platform can be found in the Figure 2.
Before each day of work, the silt curtain should be inspected by trained staff to ensure that it is intact and properly form an enclosed area. The floating and underwater section of the silt curtain should be checked monthly to ensure that there is no damage of the curtain. The silt curtain will be pulled out of the water for checking if necessary. Additional checks will be required after typhoon that may have damaged or dislodged the curtain. Damaged silt curtain should be repaired or replaced before conducting any construction activity within the silt curtain. The construction work will only commence after confirming the integrity of the silt curtain.
Prior to the commencement of work for each day, the area enclosed by the silt curtain should be scanned for 30 minutes by a trained dolphin watcher. All dolphin watchers will be trained by qualified dolphin specialist. Approval on the dolphin specialist shall be sought from AFCD and EPD. The dolphin watcher will scan the area visually from the viewing platform. The construction work will only commence after confirming 30 minutes of absence of dolphins. All dolphin watchers will be trained by the qualified dolphin specialist so that will have adequate knowledge to identify presence of dolphins.
The approximate location, time of appearance/disappearance and direction of movement of the dolphin etc should be recorded. In the event of Chinese White Dolphin being seen within the enclosed area during the morning inspection or the work day, all marine work shall be suspended, and the action plan should be implemented immediately.
3.3.1 According to the site condition, the chance for dolphin entering the fully enclosed silt curtain is highly limited. Nevertheless, in the event of CWD being seen within the area enclosed by the silt curtain, the dolphin watcher will report the event to the assistant construction manager and environmental officer immediately and all marine works shall be suspended.
3.3.2 The dolphin watcher should closely observe the movement of the dolphin and search for appearance of other dolphins within the silt curtain. The assistant construction manager will also gather the construction team to open the silt curtain to allow a shortest path for the CWD to leave the site.
3.3.3 The environmental officer will notify RSS, the Environmental Team Leader and gather the dolphin watchers readily available on-site to watch the position of the CWD and guide the CWD leave the Site. The approximate location, time, group size, behavior and the movement pattern of the CWD should be recorded, and submitted to RSS and IEC/ENPO for reference.
3.3.4 The construction work can only recommence if no dolphin is found within the observation area for 30 minutes. Also, staff should be allocated to check the silt curtain for any openings that any be missed during the daily check.
3.3.5 In the event that CWD cannot be removed from the enclosed area for an extended period of time (e.g. 30 minutes), the dolphin specialist should be consulted immediately, and try to arrive the site within 30 minutes.
3.3.6 In case injured or live-stranded cetaceans are found, the AFCD will be contacted immediately through “1823” marine mammal stranding hotline.
3.3.7 Table 2 show the contact list of emergency team member and Figure 3 shows the communication line of this action plan.
3.3.8 This action plan shall be practiced after the first silt curtain area is enclosed so that the procedure can be fine tuned and relevant staff will be familiar with their roles. Any changes to this action plan shall be in consultation with the relevant management authorities.
Table 2 – Contact List of Emergency Team Member
|
Name |
Post |
Contact No. |
|
Mr. Paul PUI |
Site Agent |
2597-3398 |
|
Mr. Y. Y. LEUNG |
Assistant Construction Manager |
9430-3396 |
|
Mr. Joe CHAN |
Superintendent |
5560-6504 |
|
Mr. Sam WONG |
Graduate Engineer |
6153-7186 |
|
Mr. Marko CHAN |
Environmental Officer |
9427-6345 |
|
Mr. Matthew WU |
Environmental Officer |
6076-2675 |
|
Mr. Arthur CHENG |
Environmental Team Leader |
3565-4115 |
|
TBC* |
Dolphin Specialist |
3565-4157 |
|
Mr. Patrick KO |
Resident Engineer (Safety and Environment) |
5962-0547 |
*Remark: Approval on the dolphin specialist shall be sought from AFCD and EPD.
Currently, AFCD (the authority responsible for marine mammals) collaborates with the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation (OPCF) to investigate and responds to all marine mammal strandings in Hong Kong. In the event that a CWD, or other marine mammal, is found injured or dead within the enclosed area of the silt curtain, it is advised by AFCD that the government 24 hour hotline (i.e. 1823) shall be called to seek assistance from the corresponding responsible team of AFCD (who will notify and form joint-investigation with OPC when necessary). Existing AFCD/OPC procedures may then proceed.