2.1
This dolphin watching plan is prepared in accordance with the
requirement under the EP-352/2009/A Condition 2.5 that:
The Permit Holder shall deposit with the Director prior
to the commencement of marine works of the Project, three hard copies and one
electronic copy of a Dolphin Watching Plan. The plan shall include
regular inspection of the silt curtains, visual inspection of the waters
surrounded by the curtains, and an action plan shall be devised to cope with
any unpredicted incidents such as the case that Chinese white dolphin is found
within the water surrounded by the silt curtains.
2.2
The requirement under the EP-352/2009/A Condition 3.5 is that:
Once the perimeter silt curtains as mentioned in
Condition 3.4 above are installed or re-deployed, the Dolphin Watching Plan as
deposited under Condition 2.5 of this Permit shall be implemented as part of
the EM&A programme.
2.3
The requirement is also specified in the EM&A Manual 10.2.17 – Dolphin
Watching Plan that:
A dolphin watching plan for works areas will also be
included in the EM&A programme. …The plan would include regular inspection
of the silt curtains, scanning of the waters surrounded by the curtains, and an
action plan should be devised to cope with any unpredicted incidents such as in
case dolphins are found within the waters surrounded by the silt curtains.
Similarly, at marine pier sites the dredging and concreting works could be
conducted inside the bored pile casing after its installation. A dolphin
watching plan will replace the dolphin exclusion zone after the casing is
installed.
2.4
The method for each parameter to be included in the dolphin watching
plan is detailed in the following sections:
Implementation Location and
Time
2.5
Dolphin Watching Plan should be implemented in the silt curtain enclosed
area once silt curtain is installed to enclose the working
platform in accordance with EP Condition 3.5. During installation of bored pile
casing, dolphin exclusion zone of 250m radius will be implemented, which covers
the scope of dolphin watching plan. After installation of the bored pile casing, dolphin
watching plan will be in place as per EM&A Manual Section 10.2.17. The
layout and location of the silt curtain can be found in Figure 1. Cross-sectional view of the silt curtain can be found in Figure 2.
Regular inspection of the
silt curtains
2.6
Before each day of work, the silt curtain should be inspected by trained
staff to ensure that it is intact and the ends of the silt curtain are
overlapped properly to form an enclosed area. 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.
2.7
The floating and underwater
section of the silt curtain should be physically examined weekly to ensure that
there is no damage to the curtain. The silt curtain will be pulled out of the
water for checking where necessary. Additional checks will be required after
typhoon that may have damaged or dislodged the curtain, or cases of trapped
dolphins that may indicate presence of holes. All necessary repairs should be
performed before any construction work can commence.
Scanning of the waters
surrounded by the curtains
2.8
A scanning staff will scan
the waters surrounded by the silt curtains prior to the start of construction
work. He will look for any presence of dolphin inside the silt curtain with
naked eyes.
2.9
Prior to the commencement of work for each day, the area enclosed by the
silt curtain should be scanned for 30 minutes by the scanning staff. The
scanning staff will station and observe under the work platform. The construction work will only commence after confirming
30 minutes of absence of dolphins. As both ends of the silt curtain will be
overlapped to form an enclosed area, it is unlikely that the dolphin can enter
the silt curtain.
2.10
Training session will be
provided by a qualified dolphin specialist so that the scanning staff will have
adequate knowledge to identify presence of dolphins.
2.11
The approximate location, time of appearance/disappearance and direction
of movement of the dolphin etc should be recorded.
Action Plan to be Devised
to Cope with any Unpredicted Incidents
2.12
As mentioned in previous
sections, the chance for dolphin entering the enclosed silt curtain is highly
limited. Nevertheless, an action plan is also prepared in case of any dolphin
is found accidentally trapped inside the silt curtain.
2.13
The frontline staff should
stay alert for dolphins in the silt curtain during construction work. Training
session should be provided so that they have adequate knowledge to identify
presence of dolphins.
2.14
If a dolphin is found within the silt curtain, the staff should notify the site supervisor immediately through handheld
transceiver or mobile phone. All construction work within the silt curtain
should cease until further notice. At the same time, the staff will open the
silt curtain to allow dolphin to escape. Also, staff should be allocated to
check the silt curtain for any openings that may be missed during the daily
integrity check. A flow chart showing how the communication will be carried out
can be found in Appendix A.
2.15
The scanning staff should
closely observe the movement of the dolphin and search for appearance of other
dolphins within the silt curtain.
2.16
The approximate location, time of appearance/disappearance and direction
of movement of the dolphin etc should be recorded. The construction work can
only re-commence if no dolphin is found within the observation area for 30
minutes. During re-installation of the silt curtain, dolphin exclusion zone
will be implemented.
2.17
If scanning staff finds
that the dolphin has difficulty in escaping from the silt curtain, this will be
reported to the SOR to decide whether the use of vessel for guiding the
dolphin to leave should be adopted. The curtain should be closed
to its original state afterwards.
2.18
In case injured or
live-stranded cetaceans are found, the AFCD will be contacted immediately
through "1823" marine mammal stranding hotline.