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THE ENVIRONMENT
adoption of environmental auditing', environmental management systems2 (EMS) and environmental reporting in the public and private sectors. It was announced in the 1998 Policy Address that with effect from the 1999-2000 financial year, all government departments will have to publish annual environmental reports.
Cross-Boundary Liaison on EIA and Environmental Planning
Environmental pollution transcends administrative boundaries. Hong Kong and Guangdong have worked together on environmental matters for more than 15 years. The Hong Kong Guangdong Environmental Protection Liaison Group (EPLG) was set up in 1990 to deal with environmental problems of mutual concern. The level of co-operation has intensified recently as a result of both the constitutional change and growing concern about the environment on both sides of the boundary.
Under the EPLG, joint studies on environmental management and protection of Mirs Bay and Deep Bay had been conducted and action plans formulated. To ensure that the action plans are properly implemented, six-monthly audits were instituted in January 1998. A Deep Bay regional control strategy study was completed in late 1998. The EPLG will discuss further control measures for the Deep Bay catchment. Expert groups have also been set up to study air quality in the Pearl River Delta Region and the protection of Chinese White Dolphins. A new expert group will be established to promote discussions on fisheries and red-tide matters.
Rural Developments
The government is committed to improving the quality of life in rural areas and to ending or removing land uses that degrade the rural environment. Village sewage disposal has also improved in the rural areas of the New Territories.
A task force to clean up environmentally degraded areas in the New Territories was set up in 1994. Its initial focus is on the Pat Heung and Ha Tsuen areas and it is giving particular attention to black spots associated with container 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 Hong Kong. It has completed or is implementing all its plans for risk reduction and has substantially reduced the risk to the public. A similar risk management approach is being extended to the transport of dangerous goods.
Legislation and Pollution Control
Hong Kong has seven 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, the
1 a management tool which comprises a systematic, documented, periodic and objective evaluation of the environmental impact of an organisation's operation and any action it has undertaken to mitigate the impact 2 EMS is part of the overall management system for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing and maintaining the environmental policy of an organisation.