The Environment | 293
regular environmental audit programmes and some have been certified to ISO 14001 standard. All bureaux and departments publish annual environmental performance reports on their operations, programmes and policy areas. A web-based 'Cyber Helpdesk on Environmental Performance Reporting' provides readily accessible, concise guidance and information. Useful environmental management information is also available at the EPD's home page. So far, the EPD has received more than 400 environmental performance reports from various bureaux and departments.
To provide continual EMS support to local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and help them stay competitive in the environmentally conscious business market, the EPD produced a user-friendly ISO 14001 EMS support package in November to meet the latest requirements of ISO 14001:2004 version.
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 gradually improved in the rural areas of the New Territories. In 2004 and 2005, the Government earmarked additional funds of $1.8 billion to allow the domestic discharges from a further 235 000 people in 236 villages and other unsewered areas to be connected to sewers. The works will take some time to complete as time must be given to design and build the sewers and to resolve objections and land resumption issues.
Cross-boundary Cooperation
Environmental pollution transcends administrative boundaries and Hong Kong and Guangdong have worked together on environmental matters for nearly 20 years. To enhance the collaboration, a Joint Working Group on Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection was set up in 2000. In December 2005, the Joint Working Group held its sixth meeting to examine the implementation of various cooperation initiatives and discuss the work plan for 2006.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the Guangdong Provincial Government have drawn up a regional air quality management plan that aims to reduce regional pollutant emissions by 20 per cent to 55 per cent by 2010, taking 1997 as the base year. The two governments started operating a regional air quality monitoring network covering the entire PRD region with 16 monitoring stations and reporting the Regional Air Quality Index in November 2005. Both sides are also developing an Emissions Trading Pilot Scheme for Thermal Power Plants in the PRD. Details are expected to be finalised in 2006.
Hong Kong and Shenzhen, meanwhile, are involved in a 15-year water pollution control joint implementation programme to gradually reduce the pollution loads in Deep Bay with the objective of returning the bay to a clean and healthy state by 2015. To gauge its effectiveness and draw up necessary additional mitigation measures, both sides started a review of the programme at the end of 2004. The review will be completed in early 2007. On a regional level, the Pearl River Delta water quality model being jointly developed by Hong Kong and Guangdong will be