THE ENVIRONMENT
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Hong Kong and China to address environmental issues of mutual concern has been pursued for more than 15 years. The setting up of the Hong Kong-Guangdong Environmental Protection Liaison Group in 1990 has facilitated formal exchanges. regarding trans-boundary environmental problems. The experience gained in the pioneering joint environmental assessment studies on the Shenzhen River regulation project has been found useful to the subsequent undertaking of joint studies related to the Strategic Sewage Disposal Scheme. A two-year, joint-monitoring study of Deep Bay was completed in December 1995 under the auspices of the Liaison Group. A similar joint study of the Mirs Bay began in May 1996.
Rural Developments
The government is committed to improving the quality of life in rural areas and to terminating or relocating land uses which pollute the rural environment. Village sewage improvement schemes have also been carried out in the rural areas of the New Territories.
A task force to clean up the environmental blackspots in the New Territories was set up in 1994 to bring improvement to areas identified as environmentally degraded. The initial focus is on the Shek Kong area and particular attention is being given to blackspots associated with container-related operations.
Hazardous Installations and Dangerous Goods Transport
Potentially hazardous installations (PHIs), such as explosives depots and chemical stores, and dangerous goods transport routes may pose a risk to nearby residents. Hong Kong has had no major disasters but global experience of large-scale accidents highlights the need for risk management.
Risk assessments have been completed on all PHIs in the territory. Planning studies and action plans concerning risk-mitigation measures have been completed or are being implemented and have substantially reduced the risk to the public. A similar risk management approach is being extended to cover the transport of dangerous goods.
Legislation and Pollution Control
Hong Kong has six main pieces of legislation to control pollution. They are the Waste Disposal Ordinance, the Water Pollution Control Ordinance, the Air Pollution Control Ordinance, the Noise Control Ordinance, the Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance and the Dumping At Sea Ordinance. Most of these include subsidiary regulations and other statutory provisions, such as technical memoranda, that give specific effect to the intentions of the principal laws.
The government has adopted a system of environmental quality objectives as a general principle in its pollution control laws. The objectives are set at levels that will protect conservation goals, such as the protection of public health or the preservation of a natural ecosystem. This system usually gives the required environmental benefit at the least cost. The limits it imposes on pollutant emissions are no more stringent or costly than is necessary to achieve the conservation goal. It also makes the maximum safe use of the environment's capacity to minimise pollution.