Hong Kong to Build an Artificial Island to Solve the Housing Crisis
The artificial island is going to be Hong Kong’s most expensive infrastructure project till date. It would be four times the cost of building Hong Kong International Airport.
Hong Kong is planning to build one of the largest artificial islands in the world at the cost of $79 billion. Recently the government’s proposal to reclaim 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) of land around the Hong Kong’s largest island, Lantau has been granted for the purpose of building the artificial island, in order to solve the problem of housing shortage in the city.
Authorities are hopeful that they can start working on the artificial island by 2025, with the aim to allow residents to move to the island by the start of 2032. Once ready, the man-made island would be around three times the size of New York’s Central Park. Around 260,000 flats will come up on the island, where more than 70 percent of the flats would be used for public housing, according to the government.
The artificial island is going to be Hong Kong’s most expensive infrastructure project till date. It would be four times the cost of building Hong Kong International Airport, which was opened on Lantau in the year 1998 and is even costly than the Dubai’s famous palm-tree shaped Palm Jumeirah, which reportedly is built at the cost of $12 billion.
Critics in Hong Kong are of the view that the vast reclamation project is very costly and could damage the environment, especially, marine life. Many of the critics are expressing anger over the lack of a public say in the plans.
Pro-democracy lawmaker Eddie Chu said, “When all aspects of Hong Kong's public services and facilities are on the brink of collapse, will the (Lantau project) -- as the government's panacea -- solve problems or create a bigger crisis?” As he estimates the cost of the project is going to increase to more than $112 billion by the time the project is going to start by 2025.
The authorities in Hong Kong are also planning to build another 700-hectare artificial island around Lantau, but no details have been released now.
Lantau Island is also famous for the new mega bridge, which was started last year as the world’s longest sea bridge connecting Hong Kong to neighbouring Macau and mainland China. Though Beijing seeks to tighten its grip on its semi-autonomous territories.
Thousands of people took to the streets to protest the building of the artificial island. Campaigners warn, the island building process is going to reduce the number of much-loved pink dolphins in waters surrounding Lantau, which may disappear altogether due to the large-scale infrastructure projects.