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FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 1977
VISITOR BOOM BRINGS LITTER PROBLEMS TO COUNTRYSIDE
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THE AMOUNT OF LITTER BROUGHT BY AN INCREASING NUMBER OF VISITORS TO THE COUNTRYSIDE HAS RISEN BY MORE THAN 200 PER CENT IN THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
ACCORDING TO STATISTICS RELEASED BY THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT, AN AVERAGE OF 141,294 LARGE BASKETS OF RUBBISH LEFT BEHIND BY PICNICKERS EVERY MONTH WERE COLLECTED FROM COUNTRYSIDE RECREATIONAL AREAS IN THE LAST FISCAL YEAR.
THIS REPRESENTS ABOUT 1,413 TONNES (1,390 TONS) OF LITTER FOR THE WHOLE OF THE YEAR -- AN INCREASE OF 216.5 PER CENT OVER 1975-76.
+THIS IS ONE OF OUR MAJOR MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS -- THE PHYSICAL REMOVAL OF LITTER SCATTERED OVER NEARLY 260 SQUARE KILOMETRES (100 SQ. MILES) OF COUNTRYSIDE, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT SAID.
+ THE NEED FOR AN ONGOING EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO PERSUADE PEOPLE TO TAKE THEIR LITTER HOME WITH THEM OR, AT LEAST, TO PUT IT IN THE BIN, IS UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, SELF-EVIDENT. IT IS FOR THIS REASON ALSO THAT OUR COUNTRY PARK LITTER BINS ARE SO DISTINCTIVELY AND CONSPICUOUSLY COLOURED -- SO THAT THEY CANNOT BE OVERSIGHTED ALTHOUGH THEY ARE ALL TOO OFTEN IGNORED.+
THE NUMBER OF VISITORS GOING TO THE RURAL AREAS ALSO INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. AT THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT'S 16 COUNTRYSIDE RECREATION AREAS WHERE DAILY RECORDS ARE KEPT, THE TOTAL COUNT REACHED OVER 2,356,000 DURING THE YEAR, COMPARED WITH 1,858,900 IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
THE MOST POPULAR PICNIC SPOT WAS AT BRIDE'S POOL IN TAI PO, WHERE THERE IS A GOOD CIRCULAR ROAD SYSTEM AND ROADSIDE PARKING SPACE. THE NUMBER OF VISITORS INCREASED BY 56 PER CENT TO OVER ONE MILLION.
SAI KUNG PENINSULA CONTINUED TO INCREASE IN POPULARITY WITH PICNICKERS AND HIKERS, AND THE DAILY RECORDS KEPT DURING THE LAST HALF OF THE YEAR SHOWED A TOTAL OF SOME 435,600 VISITORS.
THE OTHER MANAGED AREAS IN ORDER OF POPULARITY ARE SHING MUN COUNTRY PARK, TAI LAM CHUNG (INCLUDING PAT HEUNG), WONG NEI CHUNG AND TAI TAM, KAM SHAN COUNTRY PARK, SHEK PIK, ABERDEEN RESERVOIR, NAM SHAN ON LANTAU ISLAND, CHI MA WAN, TAI PO KAU, LEAD MINE PASS, CHUEN LUNG, CHEUNG SHEUNG, LION ROCK COUNTRY PARK, LAM TEI AND THE ROUTE TWISK AREA.
THERE WERE 216 PICNIC PLACES SET UP AT THE END OF MARCH BY THE DEPARTMENT AT MOST OF THESE AREAS, WITH TABLES AND BENCHES AND BARBECUE PITS AND OTHER FACILITIES FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF
VISITORS.