THE ENVIRONMENT
After a joint study of Deep Bay in 1992, a joint study of Mirs Bay began in May 1996. The Liaison Group will reconvene in January 1998, its first meeting since the Handover, to look at environmental matters in the Pearl River Delta Region, particularly the air and water pollution problems. Topics for discussion include the Mirs Bay Study Report and Action Plan, the Further Action Plan for Deep Bay, the setting up of the Study Group on Air Quality in the Pearl River Delta Region and the progress of the Deep Bay Water Quality Regional Control Strategy and the study on the conservation of Chinese White Dolphins.
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 black spots in the New Territories was set up in 1994 to improve areas identified as environmentally degraded. The initial focus is on the Pat Heung area and particular attention is being given to black spots associated with container-related operations.
Potentially Hazardous Installations and Dangerous Goods Transport
Installations 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.
The government has completed risk assessments on all potentially hazardous installations in the Hong Kong. Plans for risk reduction have been completed or are being implemented and have substantially reduced the risk to the public. The government is extending a similar risk management approach to the transport of dangerous goods.
Legislation and Pollution Control
Hong Kong has six main laws 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 laws include subsidiary regulations and other statutory provisions, such as technical memoranda, to give effect to 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 natural capacity to absorb and recycle wastes.
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