SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1974
SEMINAR TO DISCUSS RESULTS OF WATER POLLUTION SURVEY
OVER TWO-THIRDS OF HONG KONG'S STREAMS POLLUTED
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SOME 400 TEACHERS AND PUPILS ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND A SEMINAR ON OCTOBER 5 TO MARK THE CONCLUSION OF A WATER POLLUTION SURVEY OF FRESHWATER STREAMS IN HONG KONG, KOULOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES.
THE SURVEY WAS CARRIED OUT BY 18,440 PUPILS FROM 125 SECONDARY AND PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN MID-1973. IT WAS INITIATED BY THE CONSERVANCY ASSOCIATION AND THE SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION, FINANCED BY CALTEX OIL HONG KONG LIMITED AND CONDUCTED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY: +THE CHILDREN WERE ENTHUSIASTIC OVER THEIR INVESTIGATION WORK AND COVERED ALMOST EXACTLY ONE-THIRD OF HONG KONG'S TOTAL LAND AREA.
+EVEN STREAMS IN REMOTE DISTRICTS OF THE NEU TERRITORIES WERE COVERED.+
HE EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THIS WORTHWHILE ACTIVITY HAD HELPED TO AROUSE PUBLIC AWARENESS, ESPECIALLY BY YOUNG PEOPLE, OF THE NEED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN HONG KONG.
THE SURVEY WAS CARRIED OUT BY SCHOOL PARTIES WITH THE AID OF SIMPLE TESTING KITS COMPRISING CHEMICALS, TEST TUBES AND INSTRUCTIONAL BOOKLETS WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. THE REPORTS SENT IN BY THESE SCHOOL PARTIES WERE CAREFULLY STUDIED AND PROCESSED BY TWO HONG KONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF MR. TERRY ALLSOP, A SCIENCE EDUCATOR, AND DR. 1.J. HODGKISS, A BIOLOGIST, BOTH OF THE UNIVERSITY.
THE COMPUTER-ANALYSED RESULTS OF THE SURVEY WERE PUT IN A BRIEF REPORT ENTITLED ''CLEAN WATER'' BY DR. HODCKISS.
THIS REPORT HAS BEEN PRINTED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO PEOPLE ATTENDING THE SEMINAR.
HR. ALLSOP WILL EXPLAIN HOW THE RESULTS WERE ANALYSED AND HOW THE FINDINGS OF THE BRIEF REPORT SHOULD BE INTERPRETED.
OTHER SPEAKERS AT THE SEMINAR WILL BE THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION (CHIEF INSPECTOR OF SCHOOLS), HR. ARTHUR BROUN, AND THE CHAIRMAN OF THE CONSERVANCY ASSOCIATION, DR. L.K. DING.
THE REPORT SHOWS THAT MORE THAN TWO-THIRDS OF HONG KONG'S STREAMS APPEAR TO BE POLLUTED TO SOME EXTENT AS SHOWN BY THE USE OF BIOLOGICAL INDICATOR-ORGANISMS.
+EVEN THE RESULTS INDICATING RELATIVELY CLEAN STREAMS OFTEN CONTAINED MENTION OF VISIELE SIGNS OF POLLUTION BY REFUSE, LITTER, DEAD CHICKEN, ETC., WHICH MIGHT IN THE FUTURE BUILD UP TO AMOUNTS WHICH WILL RESULT IN POLLUTION OF EVE THESE CLEAN STREAMS.+·
/THESS