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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1982
WHILE THE HARBOUR AS A WHOLE, WITH ITS STRONG CURRENTS IS WELL FLUSHED AND THE DISSOLVED OXYGEN CONCENTRATION SELDOM DROPS BELOW A SATISFACTORY 50 PER CENT OF ITS SATURATION VALUE, CERTAIN BLACK SPOTS OF POLLUTION IN POORLY FLUSHED BAYS AND TYPHOON SHELTERS HAD TO BE ELIMINATED.
+A VERY GOOD WAY TO DO THAT IS BY INTERCEPTING THE SEWAGE AND, WITH ADEQUATE SCREENING TO PREVENT REFUSE GETTING THROUGH, DISCHARGING IT BY MEANS OF A SUBMARINE OUTFALL OF ADEQUATE LENGTH.+
HE POINTED OUT THAT SEA WATER AND SUNLIGHT KILL THE BACTERIA PRESENT IN THE SEWAGE WITHIN A SHORT TIME, SO THAT, WITH DILUTION AND DISPERSION OF THE WASTE BY THE SEA, SEWAGE DISCHARGE FROM A PROPERLY-SITED OUTFALL NEED NEVER CAUSE A PROBLEM.
A KEY ELEMENT IN THE GOVERNMENT'S POLLUTION CONTROL STRATEGY IS THUS THE INSTALLATION OF SCREENING PLANT AND SUBMARINE SEWAGE OUTFALLS SUCH AS THOSE AT WAH FU, ABERDEEN AND AP LEI CHAU, AND THE NEW ONES UNDER PLANNING OR CONSTRUCTION BY THE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AT CENTRAL, WAN CHAI AND NORTH POINT.
ONE OF THE MOST OBVIOUS FORMS OF SEA POLLUTION IS FLOATING REFUSE,
AND THE MARINE DEPARTMENT COLLECTS SOME 5 000 TONNES OF THIS REFUSE EACH YEAR.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, HE SAID, RECENTLY EMBARKED ON A MAJOR INVESTIGATION AIMED AT TRACKING DOWN ALL THE SOURCES OF THIS REFUSE AND PROPOSING MEANS OF CONTROL. PRELIMINARY RESULTS SUGGEST THAT A LARGE AMOUNT OF THE REFUSE COMES FROM SOURCES ON LAND, CARRIED DOWN BY NULLAHS AND SEWERS.
+SWIMMERS, AND BOAT OWNERS, ARE OFTEN THEMSELVES RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE FILTH OF WHICH THEY COMPLAIN,+ HE SAID.
OVERALL, HE SAID, THE GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE TO THE CHALLENGE OF KEEPING THE SEAS CLEAN HAS THREE MAIN THRUSTS:
(1) ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS, SUCH AS THE SEWAGE
DISPOSAL PROGRAMME, AGRICULTURAL WASTE COLLECTION AND SO ON;
(2) PLANNING FOR A BETTER ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE, HE EXPLAINED, +POLLUTION
ANTICIPATED AND CONTROLLED NEVER BECOMES A PROBLEM,✦ AND
(3) LEGISLATION, INCLUDING THE NEW WATER
POLLUTION CONTROL ORDINANCE NOW GOING THROUGH ITS IMPLEMENTATION STAGES.
+BY ALL THESE MEANS, THE GOVERNMENT EXPRESSES ITS COMMITMENT TO THE CAREFUL CONSERVATION OF CLEAN SEAS AS A RESOURCE FOR NOW AND THE FUTURE, MR HOLMES CONCLUDED.
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