THE ENVIRONMENT
A study of the long term arrangements for the disposal of waterworks and sewage sludges looked into both new and well established technologies, including energy recovery. It recommended that sludges be dewatered, dried, and buried in landfills.
In view of the unsatisfactory disposal arrangements for clinical waste, animal carcasses and some security wastes, a study was made on the development of a central incinerator to dispose of such wastes. It is planned to have a facility in 1995.
The Environmental Protection Department provided a free livestock waste collection service in certain areas, notably the Tolo Harbour, River Indus, the Upper Shenzhen River catchments, and the Tsuen Wan, Tai Lam Chung and Tuen Mun areas. This was to encourage farmers to remove manure solids from their farms and dispose of them responsibly. The manure was transported to a government-operated composting plant at Sha Ling for conversion to compost and eventual recycling. In 1992 some 2 200 tonnes of solid livestock waste were collected and composted.
Monitoring and investigations
The assessment of progress towards policy goals is one of the key activities of the Environmental Protection Department. Its routine monitoring and special investigations form the basis for all the strategic planning, provision of facilities and statutory controls that aim to improve the environment.
The department operates its own marine pollution investigation vessel, which monitors water quality in all 10 of the existing and proposed water control zones. It has a network of nearly 100 monitoring points in inland waters, and keeps 42 publicly managed bathing beaches under surveillance. The results of this monitoring form a comprehensive record of the chemical, physical and microbiological quality of Hong Kong's waters, which goes back to 1972.
All the data are published regularly, and can be made available to scientists and engineers on computer discs or tapes to contribute to their work. Members of the public are usually most interested in the summary reports of bathing water quality, which are issued to the media and published in newspapers every two weeks during summer.
Standards and objectives for water quality draw heavily on the results of water quality monitoring and a number of special investigations that the department carries out. In 1992, work was carried out in cooperation with the Chinese University of Hong Kong, as the third phase of a long term investigation to quantify the link between pollution of bathing waters and health risks.
Another field of investigation is the impact of toxic chemicals in the environment. This leads to an assessment of the safety of specific materials for use in the local environment and to the refinement of effluent standards.
Mathematical models are used in much of the department's water quality assessment work, and the EPD provides a service to other government departments whose activities might have a major impact on the flow and quality of sea water around Hong Kong.
The department operates an air quality monitoring network consisting of 11 stations. The stations are equipped with continuous ambient monitoring instruments for measuring sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, respirable and total suspended particulates (dusts), photochemical oxidants, carbon monoxide and lead.
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