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The Environment
Victoria Harbour and Harbour Area Treatment Scheme
The public sewerage system serves over 93 per cent of the population and collects about 2.8 million cubic metres of waste water daily. About 90 per cent of the collected sewage receives chemical or higher levels of treatment before being discharged.
The full commissioning of stages 1 and 2A of the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme in 2015 has enabled all sewage from both sides of Victoria Harbour to be intercepted and conveyed through a network of deep tunnels to the Stonecutters Island Sewage Treatment Works for chemical treatment and disinfection before discharge. As a result, the overall water quality in the harbour has improved significantly. A two-year study is under way to develop measures that will alleviate pollution problems caused by the discharge of residual pollutants through the storm water systems, so as to further enhance the coastal water quality and environment of the harbour.
Sewage Disposal in Rural Areas
As at end-2017, more than 12,100 village houses were connected to public sewers. Resources are also allocated in the form of loan and grant schemes to help eligible households connect their buildings to the public sewers.
Sewage Charges
All water users who discharge their sewage into public sewers pay a basic sewage charge under the Sewage Services Ordinance. Twenty-seven trades and industries whose effluent strength exceeds that of domestic sewage pay a trade effluent surcharge reflecting the additional cost of treating their stronger effluent. These charges are used to recover the operation and maintenance costs of sewage collection, treatment and disposal facilities, while the government provides funds for construction. Under a 10-year increment scheme for sewage charges launched in 2007, the latest prescribed rate is $2.92 per cubic metre of water supplied.
Water Quality
The water quality of Victoria Harbour has improved markedly since stages 1 and 2A of the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme were fully commissioned in 2015. In 2017, the harbour's overall compliance with water quality objectives was as high as 83 per cent.
By controlling pollution at source, river water quality has also improved. In 2017, 87 per cent of the river monitoring stations were categorised as 'good' or 'excellent, 6 per cent belonged to the 'bad' category, and none fell within the 'very bad' category.
Bathing Beaches
Strict standards apply in controlling the water quality at bathing beaches. The pollution level is measured in terms of Escherichia coli, the bacterium that can indicate the presence of sewage. All gazetted beaches meet the government's water quality objective for bathing.
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