Impact of contaminated land adjoining the new Disney Theme Park in Hong Kong

Contaminated land is known to be dangerous to human beings, flora and fauna. There had been several contaminated land incidents that caused major public concerns. The most notable one was the Love Canal incident in the USA that eventually led to the enactment of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation And Liability Act (CERCLA) by the Carter Government. Critics view the serious problems associated with contaminated land as a toxic time bomb in land (Pearce, 1992). In November 1999, the Hong Kong government reached an agreement with the Walt Disney Company to build a 126-hectare theme park on Lantau Island in the former British Colony. In connection with the construction of roads and other infrastructure linking to the future park, a shipyard was compulsory acquired by the government. It was later found that demolition of the shipyard will involve the removal of around 87,000 cubic metre of dioxin laden contaminated soil. This paper aims at reporting this toxic time bomb and its impacts, and highlights the lessons to be learned.