LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
In the area covered by the Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi sewerage masterplan, work on three sewer contracts continued and is expected to be completed in July 1997.
The consultancy for the Sham Tseng and Ting Kau Sewerage Scheme was awarded in May 1995 and a contract to reclaim three hectares of land at Sham Tseng for the construction of a sewage treatment plant commenced in February 1996. The laying of public sewers along Castle Peak Road at Sham Tseng and the construction of the sewage treatment works under this scheme will commence-in mid-1997.
The construction of new sewers in East Kowloon continued. A further contract to improve the sewerage system in San Po Kong and Kwun Tong industrial areas was awarded in 1996.
Sewer laying under the Port Shelter sewerage masterplan for the villages of Tan Cheung, Po Lo Che and Tui Min Hoi was completed in 1996. Construction of a sewage pumping station, rising mains and associated sewerage works under the Tuen Mun sewerage masterplan was in progress while other sewerage works were under planning and design.
Under the Central, Western and Wan Chai West sewerage masterplan, construction work for laying 5.9 kilometres of trunk sewers started in 1996. To minimise inconvenience to the public, trenchless construction methods were adopted where appropriate. The construction works for building new pumping stations in the Central and Wan Chai East sewage screening plants and new screening facilities in the Wan Chai East sewage screening plant also commenced in 1996.
Under the Yuen Long and Kam Tin sewerage masterplan, construction works continued for the laying of 2.8 kilometres of rising mains from Yuen Long to Ha Tsuen, mostly by trenchless methods, and is expected to be completed towards the end of 1997.
Implementation of the $5.32 billion Strategic Sewage Disposal Scheme, Stage I, continued in full swing in 1996. All 15 works contracts had been awarded out of which three were completed. Construction of the world's largest chemically-enhanced primary sewage treatment works on Stonecutters Island, which will discharge the treated effluent into the western harbour, was progressing satisfactorily to meet the scheduled completion in mid-1997.
The main objective in 1996 was to bring about early improvements to the water quality around Victoria Harbour through a high-priority implementation of some of the above-mentioned projects, with a $6.8 billion injection of government capital.
Sewage Charges
Under the Sewage Services Ordinance passed in December 1994, a sewage charging scheme was introduced starting from April 1, 1995, to cover the cost of operating and maintaining the public sewerage systems. The scheme was established based on the 'polluter pays' principle: i.e. the higher the quantity and heavier the pollutant level of the wastewater one discharges, the more one has to pay for its treatment. All sewage charges collected were paid into the Sewage Services Trading Fund to pay for the operation and maintenance costs of sewage services. Every cent collected from the public went entirely towards the cost of providing the sewage services which they
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