This summer, I worked as a summer trainee in the Third Runway Division of AAHK. I was placed in the environmental team, which is responsible for environmental permit compliance and stakeholder engagement.
For environmental permit compliance, I got involved in different aspects of the Three Runway System Project (3RS) such as water quality, air quality, noise and waste management. These topics were highly relevant to the courses that I had taken (ENVR 3420: Environmental Law and CIVL 4430: Environmental Impact Assessment). I have to counter check the environmental data submitted by the construction contractors as well as the consulting firm (Mott MacDonald) to ensure that the constructions of the 3RS comply with all the standards given out by the EPD. Most of the time, I was looking at the water quality as the project involves a huge scale of reclamation work. Based on the data I checked and the additional information provided by my supervisors, I have to perform some basic analysis to deduce the relationship between the project and the marine region around the Airport, like how the number of vessels affects different water quality parameters and whether there is any seasonal pattern for the change of those parameters. Apart from performing desktop tasks, I also had chances to participate in water sampling and badge inspection sessions, which helped me visualize these concepts and made my work more interesting.
Other than handling environmental data, my responsibilities also involved engaging different parties like contractors and the general public. To engage contractors, I participated in several monthly environmental meetings with my supervisor. Through that, I came to know more about the construction process of every contract as well as different kinds of environmental deviations and their corresponding mitigation measures. It was also useful to see how the senior management of AAHK urged and persuade the contractors to act according to the EP. In order to stimulate contractors’ environmental awareness and EP compliance, I assisted my team to develop a contractor recognition scheme to encourage contractors to strictly follow the conditions listed in the EP by giving them different kinds of incentives.
For engaging the general public, I had to review the dedicated website of the 3RS projects as well as think of creative ideas to promote the project to the public, especially in the aspect of environmental protection. I visited many dedicated websites of different large-scale infrastructures such as the HZMB, Shatin to Central Link and Wan Chai Development Phase 2 and proposed some potential improvements on our website. I also drafted an environmental flyer to promote AAHK’s Coral Translocation Plan to the public.
To conclude, my internship at AAHK provided me with many chances to explore more about airport operation as well as the 3RS project. A wide spectrum of tasks and experiences allowed me to develop skills in tackling complex issues and communicating with different people, including the senior management. Most importantly, my team and my supervisor provided me with substantial support, which helped me overcome every obstacle I encountered. I will definitely be more than happy to join AAHK in the future to pursue my career!
