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# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Daily street sweeping is further reinforced by the deployment of gully cleansing gangs and anti-flood gangs. The gully gangs clear sand and grit that may accumulate in the gratings and gullies, usually on a fortnightly basis but depending on need. During inclement weather, district anti-flood gangs will patrol areas prone to flooding and will clear any refuse and debris which may have accumulated and which could potentially block gullies, gratings, and other watercourses.
I can assure Members that there has been no reduction in the Department's street sweeping services. Rather, the Department has managed, in spite of resource constraints, to extend its street sweeping service to new and re-developed areas as populations build up.
The second part of the question concerns the possible adjustment of sweeping times in order to cause the least inconvenience to the public and avoid recurrence of floodings.
Both day and evening street cleansing are provided in all urban areas. Beat sweepers normally start work at 7:00 a.m. However, some districts make special arrangements to start sweeping as early as 6:30 a.m. to avoid peak travel hours. Examples are the Wan Chai and Central Districts. In order to ensure that major trunk roads and thoroughfares are kept as clean as possible, night cleansing service to these localities is maintained up to 11:00 p.m., followed by mechanical sweeping after midnight to clear sand and rubble from fast-speed roads and flyovers. The condition in the streets would thereafter normally remain fairly stable with the reduction of public activities and services during night hours. Overnight littering is therefore usually minimal and this was not one of the main contributing factors leading to blockages during the heavy downpour on 8 May. Nevertheless, despite the Department's publicity and enforcement activities, there is some illegal overnight dumping of refuse in the streets in certain older urban areas where building management is not employed. However, the Department has found no evidence that this contributed to the flooding on this day to any significant extent.
The third part of the question concerns the staffing position of the Department. The Department employs a total workforce of over 3,800 workmen on cleansing duties. This number is fully adequate to carry out the Council's responsibilities in this regard. Only 14% of such staff are over 60 years of age. These older workmen are required to undergo an annual fitness test, but no problems have come to light to date in this regard. Recruitment to fill vacancies which may arise is an ongoing and routine exercise.
The fourth part of the question concerns the efficiency of the contracting-out scheme of manual street cleansing and its assessment.
The contracting-out of manual street cleansing in Tai Kok Tsui, Mong Kok commenced on 1 March 1992. The contractor is responsible for street sweeping, litter container emptying, and cleansing, as well as gully cleansing at prescribed frequencies. The daily performance of the contractor is being monitored not only by District cleansing staff but also by a Senior Health Inspector in USD Headquarters. This is basically a relatively small-scale trial scheme designed to test the conclusion of an earlier Value for Money Study. A second trial under the scheme is being planned in the west of Wan Chai. No conclusions in terms of the value or otherwise of contracting-out street sweeping will be drawn until the results of this scheme have been analysed in detail. Staff and this Council will be consulted in due course. All indications to date are that the contractor has been able to perform a quality of cleansing service in Tai Kok Tsui fully commensurate with that previously achieved by USD staff. Those staff originally employed in street sweeping in the areas being contracted out are temporarily redeployed to other duties in the Region. Only about 60 staff have been redeployed in this way. There is no question of any redundancies. The very serious floodings witnessed in some parts of Hong Kong on 8 May were not witnessed in Tai Kok Tsui, and no particular problems arose in this area on the day in question.
In sum, the Department is satisfied that any allegation that the recent flooding was the result of reductions in USD cleansing staff due to contracting-out service is without foundation.
THE HON. MARVIN CHEUNG KIN-TUNG (in English):—Mr. Chairman, there is a statement in the original question which suggests that the Department or the Council is responsible for clearing rubbish from all the road surfaces. I wonder if the Chairman of the Public Health Select Committee can clarify whether this Council or the Department is responsible for clearing rubbish from all our road surfaces or whether there are exceptions to this general statement?
DR. LEUNG PING-CHUNG (in Cantonese):—As far as I know, the refuse on the road surface is the responsibility of the Department, and the Drainage Services Department is responsible for cleaning the refuse in drains. I wonder whether some more experienced Councillors can help me to answer this question.
CHAIRMAN (in English):—I think the highways may be the exception. The Highways Department looks after them.
DR. THE HON. SAMUEL P. W. WONG (in Cantonese): For cleansing of refuse on highways and thoroughfares, it is the responsibility of the Drainage Services Department as well as the Highways Department.
THE HON. MARVIN CHEUNG KIN-TUNG (in English):—I would like to ask a follow-up question. If that is the case, could we clarify that the blockage of the drains causing flooding to Princess Margaret Road during the rainstorm on 8 May was not caused by any negligence or lack of action on the part of our Department?
DR. THE HON. SAMUEL P. W. WONG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I can answer this question. I have received some representations from the Drainage Services Department. They said that some drains were blocked by refuse being
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