FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 1981
QUALITY OF LIFE AFFECTED BY POPULATION EXPLOSION
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THE FALL OUT OF PROBLEMS FROM THE EXPLOSION OF POPULATION HAS PLACED A GREAT STRAIN ON OUR ABILITY TO MAINTAIN THE QUALITY" OF LIFE, SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY).
MR AKERS-JONES, SPEAKING AT THE ANNUAL DINNER OF THE HONG KONG BRANCH OF THE INSTITUTE OF QUANTITY SURVEYORS, SAID IN SOME RESPECTS AND IN SOME AREAS, WE SLIP BACKWARD+.
THERE WAS NO DOUBT, HE SAID, THAT THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT OF THOSE IN MODERN PRIVATE APARTMENTS AND NEW PUBLIC SECTOR HOUSING IN EASTERN HONG KONG WAS MUCH IMPROVED AND THE ADDITION TO THE QUANTUM OF HOUSING WAS VERY BENEFICIAL, BUT AN ALMOST INTOLERABLE BURDEN HAD BEEN PLACED ON THOSE WHO MUST TRAVEL OUT OF THE AREA TO WORK.
*THEY MUST WONDER WHETHER IT HAS ALL BEEN WORTH IT, HE SAID.
SIMILAR STRAINS WERE SHOWING ALONG MOST OF THE MAJOR TRAFFIC ROUTES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, AND ONLY DETERMINED ADHERENCE TO THE ROAD DEVELOPMENT PLAN OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS WOULD PREVENT A NORTH POINT SITUATION OF EVEN WORSE MAGNITUDE FROM EMERGING ELSEWHERE.
+NUMBERS OF PEOPLE DENSELY CROWDED INTO OUR CITY, INCREASING PROSPERITY, THE USE OF NEW MATERIALS WHICH CANNOT BE RECYCLED, AND CHANGING ATTITUDES HAVE ADDED AN ENORMOUS BURDEN TO THE DAILY DEBRIS OF OUR CITY, HE SAID,
WE BURNED 2 100 TONS OF RUBBISH A DAY- WE DUMPED ANOTHER 4 300 TONS AND COMPOSTED 200 TONS. TONNAGE OF RUBBISH HAD INCREASED BY AN AVERAGE OF EIGHT PER CENT A YEAR OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS.
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IN ONE RURAL AREA - YUEN LONG THE PIG POPULATION HAD RISEN FROM 226 000 TO 328 000 IN THE PAST SIX YEARS, PRODUCING 1 400 METRIC TONS OF MANURE A DAY WHICH WAS DUMPED INTO THE STREAM COURSES.
IT HAD BEEN CALCULATED BY ONE OF OUR ADVISERS THAT THIS WAS AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO FILL THREE AND A HALF KILOMETRES OF QUEEN'S ROAD TO A DEPTH OF 14 METRES EACH YEAR!
+IN THE PAST 20 YEARS 4 000 HECTARES OF ARABLE LAND HAVE BEEN ABANDONED AND ANOTHER 3 000 HAVE BEEN COVERED WITH VARIOUS FORMS OF URBAN SPRAWL,+ MR AKERS-JONES SAID.
+WHAT ONCE WAS GREEN AND LOVELY IS A MESS OF TIN SHEET AND FILTHY STREAMS.
+THESE ARE BUT SOME OF THE EXAMPLES OF QUANTITATIVE INCREASE THAT HAVE LED TO A QUALITATIVE DETERIORATION IN OUR LIVING ENVIRONMENT.
„FORTUNATELY WE