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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1975
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KAM TIN RIVER IS FLOWING AGAIN
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FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS, THE WATER OF THE KAM TIN RIVER AND ITS FIVE TRIBUTARIES IN YUEN LONG IS FLOWING ITS NATURAL COURSE AGAIN.
IN THE PAST, THE RIPPLING OF RIVER WATER WAS SOMETHING QUITE UNHEARD OF TO THE VILLAGERS AND PICNICKERS ALONG THE BANKS OF THE RIVER.
AND THEY HAD NOBODY BUT THEMSELVES TO BLAME. FOR IT WAS NOT A LONG DROUGHT THAT HAD BROUGHT ABOUT THIS SORRY SIGHT. IT WAS JUST INDISCRIMINATE DUMPING OF LAP SAP. SO MUCH REFUSE AND WASTES HAD ACCUMULATED IN THE RIVER THAT VERY OFTEN YOU COULD WALK RIGHT ACROSS IT WITHOUT KNOWING THAT THERE WAS WATER UNDERNEATH.
HOWEVER, A CHANGE OF SCENERY TOOK PLACE IN THE AREA LATE LAST YEAR WHEN A TEAM OF ABOUT 40 U.S.D. WORKERS MOVED IN AND EMBARKED ON THE ARDUOUS TASK OF REMOVING TONS OF LAP SAP AND CUTTING DOWN OVERHANGING VEGETATION ALONG THE RIVER BANKS.
FROM KO PO TO HA CHI, THE WORKERS COVERED THE WHOLE LENGTH OF THE KAM TIN RIVER, WHICH, INCLUDING ITS TRIBUTARIES, MEASURES SOME SEVEN MILES.
THIS BIG CLEANSING OPERATION, WHICH TOOK 33 WORKING DAYS, WAS INITIATED LAST OCTOBER AT AN INTER-DEPARTMENTAL MEETING HEADED BY THE SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES. THE DEPARTMENTS INVOLVED IN THE PLANNING INCLUDED THE URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT, THE NEW TERRITORIES ADMINSTRATION AND THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
A PILOT SCHEME WAS THEN DECIDED TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH COULD BE DONE BY EXISTING U.S.D. MANPOWER IN REDUCING THE EXTENT OF POLLUTION IN N.T. RIVERS. THE AIM OF THIS OPERATION WAS TO CLEAR OBSTRUCTIONS IN THE RIVERS TO ALLOW A FREE FLOW OF WATER AND TO PREVENT AND MINIMIZE SEDIMENTATION OF SOLID WASTES IN THE RIVER BEDS.
THE MAN IN CHARGE OF THIS CLEANSING OPERATION WAS MR. NG HON- WING, URBAN SERVICES OFFICER (YUEN LONG). AFTER HE WAS ASSIGNED THE JOB, HE CARRIED OUT A NUMBER OF SURVEYS AND FINALLY DECIDED ON THE KAM TIN RIVER AS HIS PILOT OPERATION GROUND.
THREE TEAMS, EACH COMPRISING ONE FOREMAN AND 10 LABOURERS, WERE MOBILISED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF MR. WONG KOOM-CHUNG, A HEALTH INSPECTOR. EQUIPPED WITH RUBBER WADERS, JUNGLE KNIVES, DINGHIES AND A SAMPAN, THE MEN SET OUT FOR OPERATION +KAM TIN RIVER?.
FROM NOVEMBER 25 LAST YEAR TO JANUARY 4 THIS YEAR, THE MEN WENT ABOUT THEIR JOB FROM MORNING TO DUSK, CUTTING DOWN PRICKLY BUSHES AND BAMBOOS AND SCOOPING REFUSE FROM THE MUDDY RIVER.
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