THE ENVIRONMENT
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centralised purpose-designed modular incinerators. Where vehicle collection services are impracticable, existing small village incinerators are being replaced by properly designed units. The modular incinerators and new village incinerators are designed by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department.
Hong Kong is party to a number of international maritime conventions concerned with oil and other forms of pollution. The Pollution Control Unit of the Marine Department is responsible for dealing with offshore oil pollution, control of marine dumping activities and surveillance of oil transfer to and from ships. It is also responsible for collection of floating refuse. Since the unit was set up, many polluters have been successfully prosecuted. The maximum penalty on conviction is a fine of $200,000 and costs incurred in clearing or dispersing oil pollution are recoverable from offenders.
To combat oil pollution, the unit has a purpose-built pollution control vessel, stocks of low toxicity chemical dispersants, and more than 2 400 metres of large and medium-size oil containment booms. In an emergency, a substantial inventory of oil pollution equipment held by the government and oil companies can be deployed at short notice.
During 1983 and 1984, the Environmental Protection Agency carried out a survey on the problem of floating refuse in Hong Kong.
The major sources of this refuse were identified and potential solutions to some aspects of the problem proposed. Studies continued throughout 1984 on the use of booms to collect refuse at stormwater drains and nullahs. In addition, an experimental boom was installed at Repulse Bay and this led to an easing of the floating refuse problem there. Also contributing to reducing the nuisance from floating refuse were the scavenging and ship-to- ship marine refuse collections which continued unabated throughout the year.
Monitoring and Investigation
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It is important that public and private sector resources for controlling pollution or improving the environment are used effectively and efficiently and to achieve this it is essential to identify the nature and extent of the problems in Hong Kong. This requirement, together with the need to check on the effectiveness of newly introduced control measures and to recognise new adverse trends, has led to various monitoring schemes and investigational projects.
A new EPA air quality monitoring station was established during the year at a site in Sham Shui Po. This station is equipped to monitor continuously ambient levels of sulphur dioxide and particulate matter, as well as local meteorological conditions. It joins a network of five multi-pollutant monitoring stations operated by the EPA in and around the urban areas. Over 20 million individual pollution measurements are made at these stations every year. Measurements from the network demonstrate that air quality in Hong Kong is characterised by high levels of particulate matter, especially during the dry winter months. High levels of sulphur dioxide have been observed to be associated with such industrial areas as Kwun Tong and Kwai Chung. There is, however, little indication at present of photochemical smog occurring in the urban areas, though there are indications that this may affect downwind rural areas.
A major kerbside study of vehicle pollutants, carried out by short-term monitoring exercises at 22 urban locations, has been completed. Measurements show that generally high black smoke levels, together with high air lead concentrations at some locations, were directly attributable to motor vehicle emissions. Particularly high vehicular air pollutant levels were identified at the Airport Arrivals Road, Kai Tak. In another monitoring study, a 16-month survey showed a significant drop in lead in dust levels at roadside recreational