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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1976
GIANT CHIMNEY FOR KWAI CHUNG INCINERATOR
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WORK ON HONG KONG'S TALLEST CHIMNEY IS TO BEGIN IN DECEMBER THIS YEAR.
THE CHIMNEY, WHICH WILL RISE 150 METRES INTO THE AIR, IS TO BE BUILT BY THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AT THE NEW KWAI CHUNG INCINERATOR NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
MR. NG TECK-SHENG, CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE P.W.D.'S CONSULTANTS MANAGEMENT DIVISION, CIVIL ENGINEERING OFFICE, SAID TODAY THE REASON FOR BUILDING SUCH A TALL CHIMNEY WAS TO ACHIEVE BETTER DISPERSION OF FUMES SO AS TO MINIMIZE POLLUTION.
+WITH A TALLER CHIMNEY, FUMES AND DUST FROM THE INCINERATOR CAN BE DISCHARGED AT A HIGHER LEVEL TO CLEAR HIGHRISE BUILDINGS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD WITHOUT AFFECTING THE RESIDENTS, HE SAID.
THE INCINERATOR PLANT ITSELF, HE ADDED, WOULD ALSO BE EQUIPPED WITH EFFICIENT DUST EXTRACTION EQUIPMENT TO REDUCE DUST EMISSION.
MR. NG SAID THAT TENDERS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CHIMNEY HAD ALREADY BEEN INVITED AND WORK SHOULD BEGIN IN DECEMBER FOR COMPLETION AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR.
MEANWHILE, WORK IS PROGRESSING WELL ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE INCINERATOR AND IT IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED IN LATE 1978.
THE INCINERATOR WILL BE THE LARGEST MODERN REFUSE DISPOSAL PLANT IN HONG KONG AND WILL BE ABLE TO HANDLE SOME 900 TONNES OF REFUSE PER DAY.
MR. NG SAID THE PLANT WOULD NORMALLY OPERATE 24 HOURS A DAY AND WOULD PROVIDE A SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL MEANS OF COPING WITH THE GROWING AMOUNT OF REFUSE COLLECTED EACH DAY.
AT PRESENT, ABOUT 3,500 TONNES OF REFUSE IS COLLECTED DAILY IN THE URBAN AREAS. ABOUT 1,400 TONNES OF THIS AMOUNT IS NOW HANDLED BY THE TWO INCINERATORS AT KENNEDY TOWN AND LAI CHI KOK, WHILE THE REST IS DISPOSED OF IN CONTROLLED TIPS.
MR. NG SAID THE P.W.D. WOULD ALSO IMPROVE THE CHIMNEY SYSTEM AT THE LAI CHI KOK INCINERATOR BY RAISING THE EXISTING 88-METRE HIGH CHIMNEY TO 119 METRES AND MODIFYING IT TO SERVE THE WHOLE PLANT. USE OF THE OTHER TWO SMALLER CHIMNEYS OF THE INCINERATOR WOULD THEN NO LONGER BE NECESSARY.
WORK ON EXTENDING THE CHIMNEY, HE SAID, WOULD BEGIN LATE NEXT YEAR AND WOULD TAKE ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS TO COMPLETE.
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