18
AXIS
The Environment
PROGRESS continued to be made during the year to develop an overall environmental protection strategy recognising the special needs and problems of Hong Kong. In partic- ular, significant advances were made in the fields of legislation and the organisation of resources the two key components in the programme.
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At year's end, two new ordinances - dealing with solid waste, and water pollution – had been enacted, and three more were being prepared.
An important feature of the new environmental protection legislation is the adoption of an environmental management approach under which permitted emissions will be con- sidered in relation to the surrounding environment. The aim of this is to match pollutants to the ability of an area to absorb or disperse them safely. This will achieve the desired degree of environmental protection at a much lower cost than if the common approach of using blanket controls was followed.
However, since this approach requires a more detailed knowledge of the environment in different-parts of Hong Kong, its implementation will take time. For this reason, the new environmental protection ordinances are in a form that will enable specific regulations to be incorporated in subsidiary legislation later on. When such regulations have been for- mulated they will then be subject to the various consultative procedures.
Legislation: Establishing a Framework
Environmental protection legislation - both approved, and proposed - has been divided into five ordinances covering waste disposal, air and water pollution, noise abatement and environmental impact assessment of large new projects. Each ordinance is intended to establish a framework on which to base regulations, and has as a general principle the control of polluting emissions by varying licence conditions according to individual cir- cumstances, rather than the imposition of uniform standards.
The Waste Disposal Ordinance was enacted in February, 1980, and improves on pre- vious provisions for the collection and disposal of waste, as well as specifying the statutory authorities responsible for each function. Certain sections of the ordinance, relating mainly to waste collection, were brought into operation during the year. Gradual introduction of the remaining provisions will be carried out in phases, as staff become available for their implementation. Also, work began on formulating regulations under the ordinance to provide for the safe disposal of toxic and dangerous wastes.
The Water Pollution Control Ordinance, enacted in July, 1980, will ensure the proper control of pollution levels in local waters. Again, the basic theme of the ordinance was flexibility rather than the imposition of blanket controls and, with this in view, it provides for Hong Kong to be divided into zones - each with specific water quality objectives set