SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 1982
AN
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+CEMENT AND CHEMICAL FACTORIES AS WELL AS POWER STATIONS ARE ALL POTENTIAL SOURCES OF LARGE QUANTITIES OF MORE HARMFUL GASEOUS POLLUTANTS AND THESE MUST BE TIGHTLY CONTROLLED,+ DR REED SAID.
*WITH THE RECENT SPATE OF SUCH INSTALLATIONS IN HONG KONG, WE HAVE HAD TO ACT BEFORE THE NEW LEGISLATION IS IN FORCE USING SPECIAL LEASE CONDITIONS AS A STOP-GAP MEANS OF ENSURING CONTROL AND PRE-EMPTING THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS OF THE FUTURE,+ HE ADDED.
+ IN THIS WAY, SATISFACTORY CONTROL REQUIREMENTS HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR THE TWO NEW COAL-FIRED POWER STATIONS, FOR SEVERAL NEW CEMENT AND CHEMICAL PLANTS AND FOR ALL THE NEW FACTORIES ON THE TAI PO INDUSTRIAL ESTATE; AND THE CONTROLS COVER ALL TYPES OF POLLUTION, NOT JUST GASEOUS EMISSIONS.+
IN ANOTHER EFFORT TO CLEAR THE ATMOSPHERE, SPOT CHECKS OF MOTOR VEHICLES ARE FREQUENTLY UNDERTAKEN. IN 1980-81, SUCH CHECKS RESULTED IN 14 500 PROSECUTIONS. BUT, DR REED ADMITS, THIS HAS NOT CURED THE PROBLEM AND TOUGHER ACTION IS NEEDED.
WATER POLLUTION IN THE OLD DAYS DID NOT POSE SUCH A PROBLEM, AS MOST PEOPLE LIVED AROUND THE HARBOUR AREA, WHERE THE RAPID FLOW OF WATER HELPED DISPERSE THE POLLUTION.
THE SITUATION HAS NOW CHANGED, WITH THE RAPID INCREASES IN THE POPULATION AROUND TOLO HARBOUR AND, IN THE FUTURE, AROUND DEEP BAY AND JUNK BAY WHERE THE CIRCULATION AND DISPERSION OF ANY POLLUTANTS FED INTO THESE BODIES OF WATER IS POOR.
IN MANY CASES, THE WATER IN THESE AREAS IS ALREADY SATURATED WITH AGRICULTURAL AND ANIMAL WASTES.
PROGRESS IS BEING MADE IN FIGHTING THIS DANGER, WITH THE CONSTRUCTION BY THE GOVERNMENT OF MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS AND WITH THE STEPS THAT ARE BEING TAKEN TO
IMPLEMENT THE 1980 WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ORDINANCE. TOLO HARBOUR IS THE PRIORITY AREA FOR CONTROLS UNDER THIS ORDINANCE AND IT IS HOPED THAT TOLO WILL BE DECLARED THE FIRST WATER CONTROL ZONE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
+ IT IS ESSENTIAL IN ALL THIS THAT WE DO NOT UNCRITICALLY INTRODUCE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES POLLUTION CONTROLS THAT MAY NOT BE AT ALL RELEVANT TO THE POLLUTION PROBLEMS IN HONG KONG,+ DR REED SAID.
+TO AVOID THIS AND TO CHECK ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NEWLY-INTRODUCED CONTROLS IN MEETING ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY REQUIREMENTS, THE EPA HAS BUILT UP CENTRALISED FACILITIES FOR MONITORING AND FIELD SURVEY WORK TO ESTABLISH PRESENT LEVELS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF POLLUTION AND TO CHECK ON TRENDS.
+MODERN ELECTRO-CHEMICAL, ELECTRO-OPTICAL AND ELECTRONIC AUTOMATIC SENSORS, TOGETHER WITH ON-SITE MAGNETIC TAPE DATA LOGGERS AND A HIGH SPEED COMPUTER, ARE USED BY THE EPA'S SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING SURVEY TEAMS. ALSO SOURCE EMISSION MEASUREMENTS WILL BE CARRIED OUT IN THE FIELD BY INSPECTORS OF THE VARIOUS POLLUTION CONTROL UNITS IN ORDER TO CHECK COMPLIANCE WITH THE NEW LEGISLATION,+
TO DEAL WITH